A Tale of Two Strangers in a World of Wizards and Guilds
by Strongraider101
Summary: Two friends find themselves on the receiving end of a car crash and transported to the world of Fairy Tail. With unknown forms of magic within them, they struggle to gain power and change the course of event's in Fairy Tail's timeline. With one of them having foreknowledge of the show, follow them as they fight to make the best of their situation and thrive in a magical world.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**With an End, comes a Beginning**

He floated there, for who knows how long, in the endless white that surrounded him. That white was full of sparkling lights and shades of Gold, but it was all blurry, as if muddled by water. Then he landed. His whole back and backside landed on something firm, but not hard, and he groaned from the impact. He opened his eyes fully, realizing he had been seeing things through half opened lids. He sat up, and looked around, seeing that the sky was still a strange mix of gold and white, with sparkling masses occasionally dotting it. He was sitting on a large bright red mushroom, and below that he could see grass and a few trees, but then the land stopped less than a mile away from him, seeming to end at a ledge in all directions. Then He heard a groan next to him.

"Edmond?" At the mention of his name, Edmond turned to see a familiar face lying next to him.

"Harry? Hey man, are you alright?" Edmond asked, standing up fully and offering a hand to his friend, who took it without hesitation. Harry was just a hair taller than Edmond, standing right at 6'0, while Edmond was at 5'10. Harry had blonde spiky hair that always seemed to have one or two cowlicks in it, which was in great contrast to Edmond's smooth jet black hair that he kept combed to one side of his head.

"Yea, I'm fine, where the hell are we?" Harry asked, looking around at their surroundings. "Did...did we take drugs?" Harry asked upon noticing the giant mushroom they were both on. Edmond tried to remember the last thing that happened to them, and then he remembered the car crash.

"I, I think we're in a coma. Or I'm in a Coma, which means you're a figment of my imagination..." Edmond said, looking at his near lifetime friend with some concern, but Harry shook his head.

"No way man, I'm telling you its me. Whatever's going on, we're experiencing it together... or at least I think we are." Harry shook his head in slight frustration, but before Edmond could respond, they both heard a voice.

"You two do know your both in quite a bit of trouble don't you?" A deep booming voice announced as both Edmond and Harry looked up to see what could only be described as Large Regal looking man with a mustache to rival even the greatest of handlebars. His hair was a stark white, and his skin was a light, unnatural blue. He also sported a large pair of white horns on his head. His eyes were redder than blood, and looked down at them with visible frustration and annoyance. He also wore sliver and gold armor, accompanied by a large Blue cape.

"What." Was all Harry could manage as he looked up at the floating giant. Edmond meanwhile was practically shaking, because he knew what this giant was from. _Fairy Tail! Its the Celestial Spirit King! But how!? Why!? What is even going on!? _Edmond's thoughts were interrupted by the King's voice once again.

"Well!? What have you got to say for yourselves? Humans are forbidden to enter the Celestial Spirit realm, so why were you two in my domain not five minutes ago?" Edmond looked over his shoulder to see Harry was growing more nervous. _He never watched the show, even though I told him to years ago... I guess I'll have to do the talking from here. _Edmond thought as he faced the King, a nervous lump forming in his throat.

"To be honest, we're not really sure how we got... to be in your realm... or how we got here to be fair." Edmond explained as calmly as he could, but saw the King's expression only seemed to grow more irritated. _He doesn't believe me... _Edmond quickly expanded upon his explanation. "I'm honest... your Majesty. We truly do not know how we got here. The last thing that I can remember was a crash." The King's expression calmed a bit. Perhaps out of pity, or something to that extent. Edmond looked back to Harry, and his friend nodded furiously, but did not speak. Edmond was thankful that his friend was allowing him to take the lead, even if Harry had no idea what was going on.

"I see..." The Kind spoke, a curious expression on his face as he observed the two young humans. This was most certainly one of the last things he had been expecting to do on a Saturday, but he supposed that if what they were saying as the truth, then they were not at fault for their situation. That didn't mean he couldn't ask more questions though. "...So what exactly were you doing before you ended up in the spirit world?"

"The last thing that I recall is a car crash, and then nothing. Right Harry?" Edmond asked and Harry nodded quickly in response to that question, still being overwhelmed by the whole situation. The King stroked his nose-stache and then nodded.

"Very well I suppose, I do sense quite a bit of magic within you, young one. Perhaps you opened a gate to save you and your friend?" He propositioned, but received no response, Edmond somewhat spacing out to that statement. "I will send the two of you back to Earthland pronto then, just tell me where you lived, and I'll send you there."

"Wait... if we're not on earth, then where are we?" Harry asked, finally speaking up after Edmond's brief conversation.

"You are in a small dimension between Earthland and the Celestial spirit realm. It is a place where both humans and spirits can live... too bad this is as big as it is." The King said somewhat mournfully before he shook his head. "So where do you live?" both Edmond and Harry paused at the question, but Harry gave his friend a nod, a small signal to answer for them.

"Uh, first, may I ask a question?" Edmond asked, and the King raised an eyebrow. "What kind of magic do we have exactly?" The King looked at the young human somewhat bewildered.

"You're not a celestial wizard?" The King asked in genuine confusion, to which Edmond shook his head. Harry looked between the two of them, a confused look on his face. "Certainly makes it more of a mystery as to how you ended up in the spirit realm, but let us see for certain." The King held out his massive hands, and two bright blue magic circles appeared at the ends of each, and after a few seconds, he crossed his arms, an amused grin on his face. "Well that explains it, a Cosmic Make Wizard, you don't see many of them any more. Your friend there can use Over-enchant Magic, meaning it wasn't him. I suppose your situation makes a bit more sense now."

"How does it make more sense? I missed that part." Harry said blankly as he looked over to his friend. Edmond looked at his hand, and then clenched his fist. If he could truly use magic, and this truly was the world of Fairy Tail, then there's only one place he would want to be. "Uh... hello? Earth to Eddy?"

"Take us... to Fairy Tail."

* * *

After their run-in with the Celestial Spirit King, the two friends found themselves dropped out of a magic portal in the middle of an alleyway, with thankfully no one around them. Feeling very excited for what might await him, Eddy jumped up and started searching for the guild. Unfortunately though, all he found were other unfamiliar streets and houses.

The two walked around for some time, then Harry began to get a little annoyed "What exactly are you looking for?" He asked his very confused friend.

"A certain building. I'm not too certain how to describe it except for to listen out for the sounds of fighting." Eddy explained, to which Harry looked at him blankly.

"Wow, thanks for the info. I'm sure it'll help wonderfully. Now do you mind explaining what's going on or are you just going keep me guessing?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Eddy stopped and looked back at his friend "You never watched it, did you?"

Harry raised his eyebrow in question "Watched what?" he asked.

"Fairy Tail!" was Eddy's response "This is the exact same world as the anime. Heck, I might say it IS the anime!"

To Eddy's shock, Harry's eyebrows actually seemed to raise even more "Wait…What?" Eddy just nodded, an ear-to-ear grin on his face "You can't be serious right? You're telling me that we're in a fuckin' anime right now?"

"I am ninety-nine percent certain of it!" Eddy responded "I mean, It's gotta be at this point."

"But that doesn't even make any sense." Harry said, looking down at the cobblestone road beneath his feet "How could we have died and ended up in the same world as an anime?"

"Hey, you're the one that watches all those Isekai, you tell me." At that, they both kinda stared at each other, then Harry glanced off, recalling all the typical Isekai tropes that he often saw.

"Aw shit." Harry said "Here we go again."

"What?" Edmond asked somewhat obliviously.

"Just…this feels like an overused trope."

"yea, whatever. This is life now and I'm damn well gonna enjoy it!" Edmond said with joy as he pumped his fist in the air, eager to begin his new life as a wizard.

"Well before we can do that," Harry says, giving his friend a look "what exactly is Fairy Tail? Something about magic right?" Edmond nodded as he somewhat psyched himself up to explain just how Fairy Tail's 'Magic System' worked.

"I suppose its really a one-of-a-kind kinda deal, it isn't as strict as Hogwarts-esque magic, but it also isn't as free-willed as say, Avatar's bending." Edmond began, as he glanced to make sure Harry was listening, and sure enough, he was paying close attention. That was something Edmond could always rely on in most circumstances, Harrison was a great listener. "Fairy Tail plays by it's own rules for the most part, but there are certain magic types and styles that are 'lost' or 'forbidden'. Aside from that, most common magics are divided between maker, written, holder, and caster magics. As far as I'm aware at least. I'm not an expert on the series or the lore, but thats my best understanding." Harry nodded, satisfied with the explanation, and the two of them continued their search under the evening sun.

"So what kind of magic types do we have, he said your a... Cosmic make Wizard, and I'm an Over-enchant Wizard? What do those do?" Harry asked, curiosity in his voice. At this, Edmond shrugged.

"Honestly don't know, I've never heard of those magic types, but if I were to guess, mine is a maker type magic... as the name suggests. Yours I'm guessing is a written magic, but I don't know much about them." Edmond said as he continued to swivel his head in search of Fairy Tail's guild hall. He had spotted a few pedestrians, but had not thought to ask them until now. He spotted one not too far away, and approached her. She had bright blue hair that was tied up in a pony tail, and wore a plain green dress that went down to her knees. Edmond made sure she saw him approach, but as they did, she seemed to grow a blush on her face.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" Edmond asked tentatively, the girl flinching from being addressed.

"M-Me?" Edmond nodded and the girl seemed to have steam shoot from her ears. "W-What can I do for you today s-sir?" She quickly stammered out, causing the two friends to step back a bit, slightly weirded out by the nervousness.

"We were wondering if you knew where the Fairy Tail guild hall was?" Upon the question reaching her ears, the blush dissipated, and a confused look adorned her face. She looked between the two of them, before setting her eyes upon Edmond.

"Um... Fairy Tail is in Magnolia." Edmond was about to respond with a polite 'I know that' before the girl continued. "Fifty miles west of here." Edmond froze, and he stood there, the information not fully processing as he waited for her to tell him she was joking. She was not. Harry sighed as he muttered a low 'That figures' before he looked around for an Inn. "B-But if your Wizards, I'm sure you can find some work around here in Ginville. I-If y-you know, y-you wanted to stick around that is."

"Well I appreciate the help, I guess we were told wrong then, we had been told that Fairy Tail was in this village. Anyways, Thanks for the help, now we just need to find a place to rest." She nodded warily with a blush as the two of them went on their way.

"Well... she was interesting." Harry commented as they went along. "Wonder why she was so... infatuated." Edmond looked at his friend with a curious expression.

"Infatuated?" Harry shook his head, and didn't respond. The two continued their trek, and found a building called the 'Moonshine Inn'. They entered, but both of them could more or less predict what was going to happen when they talked to the people inside. The lobby room was very well kept up, the hard wood floors recently shined, and everything seemed to be very pristine.

"Welcome to the Moonshine Inn! How may I help you?" A friendly sounding receptionist asked as the two of them entered, she was a brunette wearing a light tan beret, with a dark red uniform dress. Her eyes were a deep blue, and as we approached, her friendly smile did not falter.

"Yes, my name is Edmond, this is my friend Harry, we were wondering if you guys had a tab-like system? We're kinda stretched for cash, so..." The woman frowned a bit as she looked between us, and then promptly slammed her palm on the reception table, startling the two men.

"No, if you don't have any money, then we can't serve you." she said a bit harshly as her expression turned to a rather angry looking one. "If you need a place to stay, and don't have any money, then there's an abandoned house not too far away from here. Two blocks down, and on your right. I doubt anyone would mind if you freeloaded." She said patiently, despite still looking quite angry.

"O-Oh, thanks for the info, we'll head there right away." Edmond said nervously as he slowly backed away from the desk. To which the woman gave him a now eery looking smile.

"Thats great, and make sure to come back if you ever have the money!" She said as both Edmond and Harry left the establishment. They stopped for a moment. They looked at each other as the earlier interaction played again in their heads.

"Are people usually that crazy?" Harry asked simply, already starting to get tired of this world. Edmond chuckled nervously, which did not give Harry hope for the future. Whatever the future held for them, it was bound to be something Harry would not expect. He could tell that much already, he just hoped it would be for the best. The two friends soon made their way to where the abandoned house supposedly was, and sure enough there was a run down house with boarded up windows, and a boarded up front door. "Enjoying your new life yet?"

"Quiet you." Edmond said quickly, as he searched around the house, and found an unlocked back door. The two entered and were promptly greeted with a small cloud of dust as the door swung open without resistance. The inside was covered in dirt and dust. The dark building was quiet, the silence only being interrupted by the creaking wood beneath their feet. "There has to be something we can lay our heads on somewhere." Edmond reasoned, and while they spotted furniture in the living room and dining areas, the single couch in the living room had no cushions. Eventually they found the bedroom, which had a single queen sized bed. Big enough for two, and just their luck that it was covered in plastic.

"Welp... It'll be just like all those camping trips I guess." Harry said as he pressed down on the mattress, testing its softness, and based on his expression, was not happy with it's quality. Edmond shrugged as he laid down on the opposite side.

"I guess so. I think tomorrow we need to experiment a little bit with our magic, find out what it does, and see how we can apply it." Edmond said, adjusting himself, before sneezing from the dust. Harry looked at the back of his friend's head with an incredulous expression before he too laid down, facing away from Edmond.

"Easy for you to say, you know everything about this place. And you said I have some kind of writing magic?" Harry asked but didn't wait for a response as he continued. "How the hell am I supposed to use writing magic? Make a magic novel that whisks people away?"

"That's one way of-"

"I was being rhetorical." Harry quickly interjected, and huffed, but he too sneezed from the dust. "So... What can you tell me about the events that are gonna happen? You've seen the show, so assuming we're like... at the beginning, what's gonna happen?" For a moment, Edmond didn't respond, but Harry heard his friend sigh in a defeated manner.

"There's a lot I could say... but until we know WHEN we are in the series, it won't do us much good to speculate. Which is why we should hurry up, earn some money, and get a carriage out of here, or at least some supplies for the trip." Edmond said, before Harry hummed. Edmond didn't say anything else for the rest of the night, and neither did Harry as the two friends slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

"Cosmic make magic..." Edmond said to himself as he clenched his fist outside, in front of the abandoned house. He wondered just what this kind of magic would do. _I don't remember anything about cosmic magic. So what does Cosmic make magic do? _As Edmond thought this, he heard footsteps behind him to see Harry approaching, looking about the landscape.

"Not a bad view." Harry commented, looking out over the rolling hills and forests in front of the house.

"No, it certainly isn't." Edmond comments back in response. He had pondered what this cosmic make magic could be for some time, wondering what exactly he might be able to do with it. It certainly sounded like a very powerful magic type.

"Your mind is on something." Harry asked his friend, full knowing the response he would receive.

"Hmm?" Edmond had dazed off, only barely hearing his friend's statement.

"I can tell when you're thinking about something, I can practically see the smoke coming out from your ears." Harry replied slyly as he sat down on the small porch of their 'house'.

"Oh," Edmond responded. In all honesty, he hadn't even realized what he had been doing "I'm just thinking about my magic. It's kind of funny, I don't ever remember hearing about this type of magic from the show." He looked down at his hands "I wonder what it could mean."

"You said it's a maker type magic, right?" Harry inquired, now seeming somewhat interested. Edmond gave a shallow nod "Well maybe you should try to make something." Harry recommended "Or, I guess anyways. I mean, I don't know how any of this works."

Edmond shrugged "Alright, I guess I can try." He recalled from the show one of the more iconic maker wizards from the series. He prepped his stance and put his fist on his palm. He thought about what he wanted to make, then clenched his ass cheeks "Cosmic make…Whip!" he thrust his hands forward in the same position so as to activate the spell, but nothing happened. Harry stared at Edmond blankly.

Harry gives his friend a sarcastic clap "Way to go Ed, you're a wizard."

Edmond's face turned a light shade of red "Hey, that was my first try. Besides, it's not like you've done any better so far."

"That's what she said." Harry said, continuing his blank stare. Ed's face got even redder.

"Well, I'll just try again!" Once again he readied his stance, putting his fist in his palm and clenching his ass cheeks even harder than before! "Cosmic make… Whip!" Ed thrust his hands forward, this time feeling some sensation, but yet it died quickly, and yet again he was left in an embarrassing position.

"Maybe you should clench your eyes too, that way you won't be able to see your failure." Harry said, his blank stare continuing.

"SHUT UP!" Ed yelled "I actually felt something that time!"

"Maybe it was gas?" Harry snarked.

"Maybe it was your mom!" Ed retorted. He readied his stance again.

"Damn, what a comeback. I'm shaking in my boots that I don't wear."

Edmond prepared to try again, but instead of putting his fist in his palm like he did before, he left both palms open, one palm on top of the back of his hand "**Cosmic Make!**" This time he could feel it. The magic began to flow through his body, starting from his core and moving through his arms to his hands all the way to his fingertips. He smirked as he focused on the image in his mind "**Whip!**" he cried out, thrusting his hands forward in front of him. To his excitement, manifested before him was a whip made of light. Harry's jaw dropped as he witnessed his friend now appear somewhat badass.

"Well that worked." Ed said simply, slinging the whip around in an attempt to get used to it.

"Appears that it did." Was Harry's response "congratulations." He looked on in curiosity at the whip of light "How much do you think it weighs?" He asked.

"I can't say," Ed responded "It feels almost weightless, but as I sling it around it appears to increase in weight, specifically near the end. I can feel it pull on the handle end as it spins around."

"Well," Harry started, staring at the whip "it definitely looks cool," He then looked up at his friend "How do we make money with it?"

"Funny you should ask," Ed began "because there is actually something I had in mind."

"And what might that be?" Harry inquired, expecting some particularly outlandish, while particularly intriguing response.

"Well, the main subject of Fairy Tail are the wizards." Ed began, Harry readying for a potentially long and unusual explanation "They do odd jobs, fight bad guys, save towns. Anything from saving a cat in a tree to quelling evil deeds aimed at destroying the world. They pretty much do it all." Harry's eyes set into a look of disapproval, getting the idea where this might be going. Ed continued "So, I was thinking we could join one of the guilds and become wizards ourselves. The Fairy Tail guild to be specific."

Harry looked at him doubtfully "Do you really think _WE_ could pull that off? I mean, neither of us have any idea what our magic does or how to use it."

"I made this." Ed said, gesturing the whip in hand, before he made it dissipate, the magical whip disappearing into the air.

"Woop-dee-fuckin-doo, you made a glow-in-the-dark rope." Harry said sarcastically "You might have an idea of what your magic can do and how to use it, but what about mine? Correct me if I'm wrong, but 'Over-Enchant' magic doesn't really seem like something you would use to fight the dark lord with."

Ed stared at his friend in disagreement "Well, it sounds like you could probably make cool stuff out of it. What about a super enchanted big-ass sword?"

Harry shrugged "Well regardless, neither of us have any idea how it works or what it's best used for, so at the moment I'm pretty much useless."

Ed sighed "Look, I've seen the show, you haven't. So just trust me on this alright? I can promise you you're far from useless. There's plenty of other characters who fill that role much better." Ed's tone made Harry believe that there was a particular mirth towards some characters. If they were useless, he could definitely understand.

"Isn't there always?" Harry responded, snickering a little bit. He crossed his arms and sighed, "Alright, if that's how you feel. You've never intentionally misled me before, so I'll trust you." Ed smiled widely, excited for his friend's confidence in him. "So how do we join one of these guilds?"

Ed looked down "Well first we probably want to stay in town for a while and earn some money. If Magnolia really is over fifty miles away then we're going to need some form of reliable transportation, specifically the train."

"I suppose you're right." Harry added, reinforcing his friend's thoughts "Although we still need _Some_ way to make money. So how would we go about doing that?"

"The only thing I can think of is offer our services to the city guards for a while, at least until we can afford a train ticket." Ed offered "Not only that, but we're not certain whether this place has a train station or not."

"It probably doesn't," Harry said "I've seen a lot of this town already and didn't see any signs of any sort of rail system."

"When did you do that?!" Ed inquired.

"Earlier, before you got up. You really need to fix your snoring problem by the way. It's pretty ridiculous." Ed frowned at his friend's observation, as honest as it was, Ed was still rather uncomfortable with the topic.

"Well, anyways. Since there isn't a train station here, we'll have to go find one in a different town. Hopefully it won't be too far away. After that, joining the guild shouldn't be too much of a hassle for us if I remember correctly. I'm pretty sure you just walk in and say 'I wanna join!' then they slap a tattoo on your ass and voila, you're in Fairy Tail."

Harry looked a little shocked "Wait, a tattoo on my ass?"

"I was just kidding," Ed reassured "But you do get a pretty sweet symbol. Its kinda like a magic tattoo."

Harry shrugged "Doesn't matter to me as long as we get paid I guess." Harry paused as he briefly mulled over everything he's heard about 'Guilds' "If it wasn't for the whole 'saving the world thing' I'd be tempted to say guilds were just a type of gang you could join. Tattoos, taking jobs, beating up people. Y'know, gang stuff."

"Huh. I never thought of it like that…" Edmond said as he paused briefly, a slight bit of concern appearing on his face. "But that doesn't matter right now. I've managed to use my magic, why don't you try yours now?" Edmond suggested, and harry looked at him with a quirked eyebrow before sighing defeatedly.

"Alright, but do I have to use that stance thing you did?" Edmond shook his head at Harry's question.

"All magic is a bit different, I'm not sure what a 'traditional' stance is for Over-Enchant magic, so I wouldn't use a stance at all, just... try to enchant something I guess." Harry looked over to see a rather solid looking stick on the ground not far away from the house. He stood up from his position on the porch and picked up the stick. He stared at it for a while, thinking about what he would want it to do, and how to get it to do whatever that was.

"You might be overthinking this." Edmond offered as he watched his friend simply stare at the stick. Harry didn't respond, but instead closed his eyes as he gripped the piece of wood with both hands, and concentrated. Harry felt something spark a bit, something new and unfamiliar to him as he thought about his 'Enchantment'. He opened his eyes and looked at the stick again, before lifting his right hand over the stick and concentrating again, his fingers splayed out as if ready to type on a keyboard.

With his eyes closed, a small magic circle appeared around his hand, parallel to his fingertips. Edmond watched with fascination as his friend conjured up magic. Harry could actively feel it now, a pressure being released from his body. But one that he had never felt before, and had not been aware of, or felt even after first arriving. Edmond watched the magic circle with interest as small glowing words began to appear on the stick. The magic circle was a mixture of both gold and bright cyan, the glow on the stick matching the color. The center of the magic circle appeared to Edmond to be an asterisk, which while odd, was also appropriate. The glowing died down as the circle dissipated, and Harry opened his eyes to see his work.

"Well. Lets give this a shot." Harry said to himself as he held the no longer glowing stick in his hands, and then threw it in front of him, the stick flying briefly before falling to the ground like any normal stick. They both stood there for a moment, an awkward silence filling the yard. "That was anticlimactic."

"No kidding." Edmond said with a small snicker as Harry retrieved his stick. "What did you want it to do?" Harry appeared to be about to respond before an idea hit him. He focused again and magic flowed from him to the stick, causing the letters to glow a soft white. He once again drew the stick back and threw it. Unlike before however the stick began to return to Harry after reaching it's apparent maximum distance. Harry caught it easily as the piece of wood seemed to draw to his hand.

"That." Harry said with a satisfied smile as he held up his first enchanted object. Edmond nodded approvingly. "I guess for my enchantments to work, Magic needs to be run through them. But they can also hold just enough magic to be used once before they run out. I guess the process of actually enchanting them doesn't power them." Harry explained while rubbing his fingers over the no longer glowing etched words of the enchantment.

"For now." Edmond said, which caused Harry to look up at him. "Maybe in the future you'll be able to pre-charge them, plus the only person that knows the true limits to your magic is you. I've never heard of this kind of magic, so it's entirely new to me just as it is to you. When you get better, who knows what you'll be able to make!" Harry gave Edmond a smile at those words.

"Your right, after all, we only got our magic yesterday." Harry admits, his face In thought. "Why don't we make sure we can put our magic to use huh? Talk to the mayor and all that."

* * *

Ginville was a rather small town all things considered, maybe 700 people at max. but even small towns needed some form of leadership, and some form of guard, as such, both Edmond and Harry made their way to the clearly defined town hall to seek some form of employment. The town hall itself was rather nice looking considering the size of the town. The fine brickwork and masonry on full display. They entered it curiously, looking for someone that looked like the mayor.

"Hello, How may I help you two gentleman today?" A pleasant voice greeted them as they entered, and saw a finely dressed woman sitting behind a desk with a welcoming smile. However upon seeing Edmond, a small blush adorned her face as the two of them approached.

"Well, we were wondering if the mayor was looking for wizards for contract?" Harry asked before The secretary nodded quickly, as she pointed down the hall to Edmond and Harry's immediate right.

"The mayor is at the end of that hall. If you two are wizards, he'll want to speak with your directly." Harry nodded in understanding as he began to make his way there, giving a quick 'thanks' to the secretary as he went to the office.

"We appreciate the help." Edmond said as he swiftly followed his friend, not noticing the growing blush on the secretary's face. Harry enters the office with Edmond right behind them. The Mayor was a portly man with an obvious comb-over, and wore a fine brown suit. His desk was made out of a dark wood of some kind, and he appeared to be writing something down, only the single piece of paper being present.

"Ah hello there, my name is Archibald. I'm the mayor of Ginville. I don't believe I've ever met you two before, have you moved here recently?" Upon his questioning Edmond nodded, taking the initiative as he stepped forward.

"Yea, we have actually, My name is Edmond Ford, and my friend here is Harry White. We were wondering if you had any open positions for... say... a few wizards?" Upon the mention of 'wizards', the mayor's eyes went wide a little as he looked at them. First at Edmond, and then to Harry.

"Are you saying you two are wizards? Truly?" They simply nodded in response. "Then we could really use your help. The local guard try as much as they can, but often they just aren't equipped enough to handle the local bandits that come here every month or so. We've sent a request to wizard guilds, but they never seem to respond, I'll be willing to pay you double a guards salary if you stay in town for the next month, or at least until we know those bandits have been dealt with. Please?" The Mayor's request was sincere to the two as they looked at him with wide eyes. Harry looked over to Edmond with a questioning gaze, while Edmond simply nodded as he smiled confidently.

"We accept your request, the next time those bandits come, they won't know what hit them!" Edmond proclaimed, causing Harry to shake his head in exasperation over his friend's antics. _Although from what he's told me, I should probably expect some wacky shit to happen. _Harry thought to himself, as Edmond and the mayor shook hands.

* * *

"Guards huh?" Harry asked as he and Edmond headed back to their hole-in-the-wall home. "I guess that's not the worst job, but what about your guild thing, or what about us actually being able to use our magic to help these people? How are we going to do that?" Edmond hummed at his friend's questions, trying to word the right way to answer each. They had spent the rest of the day answering questions, and spinning a believable tale about their origins. Despite the fact that the mayor was a bit dubious about their stories, the demonstration of Edmond's magic was more than enough to sell the mayor. When asked about Harry's magic, all the blonde could really do was demonstrate a basic trick, and while the mayor didn't seem overly impressed by a stick that weighed as much as a iron ingot, he still hired him nonetheless.

"Like you said, we're going to have to earn a little bit before we can get to Fairy Tail, so this is pretty much just a means to and end. As far as how we help these guys, simple. We... do guard stuff I guess. Whatever the Mayor wants us to do, and of course, hone our magical abilities." Edmond's answers did little to ease Harry's unrest.

"You talk as if you know how to do all this, although I guess we just have to play this from ear for now. I'll try to think of a way I can use my over-enchant magic to help out." Edmond smiled as they arrived at their house, seemingly non-pulsed by the still downtrodden state.

"That's the spirit! Now lets get some rest! We're going to need all our energy in the morning!" Harry nodded in agreement before he looked around at the living room surroundings with a questioning gaze. "Whats up?" Edmond asked curiously.

"Let me try something real quick." Harry said before he picked up a dusty broom nearby, the old cleaning tool clearly having seen better days. He opened up his palm and activated his magic, the familiar cyan and gold kaleidoscope of color appeared as his magic circle manifested. Inscriptions began to line the broom handle as he concentrated, his eyes closed. Then he was finished and the glowing ceased. Before the broom's inscriptions began to glow as Harry pointed the tool at the room around him. As he did so, the cobwebs and dust began to disappear, and the furniture seemed to gain a new lively hue to it. Edmond watched in fascination as Harry cleaned the room, having to get closer to some areas of the living room, the range of the enchantment apparently not infinite. As Harry did this, he began to become more and more tired, the magic being drained from him being a bigger role than he expected.

"Whoa. How did you do that?" Edmond asked, surprise evident on his face. "Was that your magic?" Harry simply nodded as he put down the enchanted broom, before sitting down on the now clean sofa, his head feeling lighter than before.

"But that took a lot out of me... Creating the enchantment wasn't nearly as difficult as making it... function." Edmond sat down on a nearby chair, and looked at his friend confused. "The only way I can describe it is like writing a program, and then providing power for the software. Its more difficult to make the software run than it is to make it, which is... pretty much the opposite of how it should be. But I suppose thats magic for you."

"That is kinda weird, but oh well, at least you understand your magic a bit better eh?"

"Yea... I guess."

"Well anyways, it looks like we have quite a bit of work ahead of us. Why don't we call it a night?" Edmond suggested, and Harry merely nodded as he began to ponder over the possibilities of his magic.

* * *

**Author's notes**

**I've**** decided I'd try my hand at a Fairy Tail story, and while not super original with the whole: "being sent to the world of an anime" I believe you all might enjoy what I have in mind for this story. Also, This is a joint project with my friend BlackHawk who is a huge fan of the show, and helped come up with many of the ideas for the story. He will be writing several areas of the chapters as we share the load of writing. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and as always...**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2- Town in Trouble

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. **

**Town in Trouble**

"Are you sure about this boss?" a scruffy looking man asked with a tinge of trepidation as he looked over the town of Ginville in the distance, remembering what they had learned a few days ago. "They got two wizards in town now. One of them even has some kind of cosmic magic." He looked behind him at a skinny, almost sickly looking man in a long black cloak as he said this. The man didn't say anything at first, but simply laughed, causing the scruffy man to flinch.

"Those two won't be any problem to us. Its two wizards against a whole gang of opposing ones, sure one might have a powerful form of magic, but that doesn't mean he knows how to use it. I have a good feeling about this raid. We'll be fine." The man in the cloak said, his face and expression hidden, but the confident grin could practically be heard in his tone.

"If you say so boss."

* * *

Edmond skillfully danced his cosmic-made whip about in the air for his small crowd of onlookers to see, their eyes alight with wonder. Most of the crowd were all girls, Edmond having an unnatural ability to attract those of the opposite sex with relative ease. He had become something of an entertainer to the people of the town, learning how to move his magical whip of light in ways that made it look as if it were dancing, even being able to make it move in seemingly unnatural ways due to its magical characteristics. As an added plus it gave him the opportunity to practice his magic more often. Although, he had yet to master making and using two whips at once.

"That's so amazing! Your magic is so beautiful!" One girl said as she watched his whip dance, it's soft blue, sparkling form dancing in the air. Edmond smiled proudly at the praise. other girls copied this sentiment.

"Can you make more than one?" Another girl asked, curiosity on her face. Edmond didn't respond, attempting to focus on his performance. He did hear her however, and attempted to form a second whip in his free hand. He opened his palm and stretched out his hand. As he pulled back, he felt the magic flow through his arm, and as he attempted to grab the whip, a blue flash of magical energy suddenly burst into the air, his attempt at forming a second whip failing. The crowd, on the other hand, oohed and awed at the sudden burst of magic, clearly entertained by the bright flash and loud crack that came with it.

Harry smirked. "_That's new"_ he thought to himself, entertained by his friend's theatrics. Harry had reserved himself to a more quiet day to day, studying his magic in the quiet of their "house" rather than in the open amongst many people. The two were very drastic in their differences indeed, but there were no two closer friends.

Although that's not to say Harry wasn't practicing with his magic himself. While the enchantment process was slow - and to him, inefficient - it worked. and now he had an actual way of defending himself in a world full of wizards and sorcerers. With a grin, he approached Edmond from behind, having been watching the performance opposite to the crowd. He withdrew his newest creation and with a thought and brief pull of his magic, altered the enchantment slightly. He approached right behind Edmond and lightly poked him with the magically enchanted piece of wood.

"Youch!" Edmond yelped as a sharp bolt of electricity coursed through his body, the magical taser working perfectly.

"Works like a charm, doncha think?" Harry asked smugly as he saw the annoyed look on his friend's face. Then Edmond seemed to realize what exactly had happened, and a look of surprise covered his features.

"Wait, that was your… taser?" He asked to be certain, and Harry nodded confidently, presenting the object to his friend, who took it cautiously.

"Correct, capable of paralyzing a man with a single touch if need be, and adjustable to anyone that holds it." This caught not only Edmond's attention, but the attention of the small crowd as well. "While the cost is a small amount of magic, it can be adjusted anywhere between a harmless static shock, to a paralyzing jolt." As he said this Edmond sneakily began to turn the amperage up slightly as he realized that most of Harry's attention was on the crowd, almost like a salesperson. "And I plan to make more as well. The one you see here is a prototype, only being able to be used by someone who can input magical energy. I intend to attempt to make the final product self powering by utilizing a magic power source of some kind." At that, Edmond swiftly thrusted the taser into the middle of Harry's back, and while he was surprised, he didn't give much of a reaction.

"Hey, what gives?" Edmond complained, now trying to jab the taser into his friend a little harder.

"I've made it to where it won't affect it's creator. I'm immune. Rather cheap magical cost to make it that way as well." Harry said, his smugness gearing into overdrive. The girls in the crowd seemed to giggle a bit as Edmond became a bit frustrated. "Don't worry, I have an idea for something you can use too. Although that may come a bit later." This piqued Edmond's interest as he looked to his friend before handing the taser back.

"Really? What was it?" Edmond asked, now interested in what Harry might have in store for him.

"Like I said, that'll probably come later. for now though, I have quite a few more projects to work on." Harry said this time with thoughtfulness on his face before he began to leave again. "If you need me, I'll be at the library."

"Your always at the library!" Edmond shouted as Harry walked further away, heading towards the center of town.

* * *

The library was considerably impressive considering the kind of technology that this world has shown. At least that's what Harry thought when he had first found the building. Currently he had three large books out, each one on a slightly different topic. The one he had open at the moment, and the one he was almost finished with was the history of Fiore. It had been relatively easy to discover the country he was in, and was trying to read up on it's history to not seem ignorant when talking to people. The other two though, might wind up being even more valuable.

The first of the other two books was called 'Common and Uncommon magics of the world' while the second was named 'The Lost and Forbidden Magics of the World'. Funnily enough, both were by the same author. That didn't matter too much to Harry, instead he was interested in seeing what those books said about his and Edmond's magic. If he could find them. At least he didn't need to worry about learning a new language. Everything seemed to be in english.

Another hour later and he was done with the History book, and began on the first of the other two books. These were less like a straight read, and more like a list of all the different magics with descriptions below each one. thankfully they were all sorted alphabetically, and had an idex by the type of magic as well, so he quickly searched for both his and Edmond's forms of magic.

Unfortunately, his search was fruitless. While he did find several different kinds of maker magic, such as Ice Make, and Wood Make, he could not find Cosmic Make. and upon searching further, he could not find Over-Enchant magic either, the closest thing he did find was rune magic. But that functioned a little differently than his own magic. While disappointed in the lack of relevant information in the first book, he did learn quite a bit about different magic types, and was fascinated by the versatility of some of them. of course, he was nowhere near completing the book, it was like a dictionary, seeing all the different magic types, but he hadn't intended to sit and read this one book all day anyway.

Then he came to smallest of the books. The one that 'detailed' different lost and forbidden magics. Of course, most of the book discussed rumors and legends, often only having tales of what a magic could do, but not even a name to go with it. The lost magic half of the book was far more detailed than the forbidden magic half. For obvious reasons, Harry assumed. At least this had some source for their magic. Edmond's specifically. Apparently there was some form of order of cosmic make wizards that lived in a far away mountain and studied the stars, but rarely interacted with those down below unless it was to trade or defend those they knew. "_According to this though, there hasn't been a recorded instance of a cosmic make wizard in one hundred and fifty years._ _Very strange._"

What was even stranger though, was the complete lack of information that related to Over-Enchant magic. "_So how did that… Celestial Spirit King… Know my magic? Maybe these books simply aren't expansive enough?_" As this thought ran through his mind, he wondered just where he might find such information.

Once he was finished with his trip to the library, Harry went back to his and Edmond's abode to continue his experiments.

* * *

Edmond walked throughout the town of Ginville with a thoughtful expression on his face, once again going through a plan to travel to Fairy Tail. "_Hmm, we need 10,000 Jewels to buy a single train ticket. With the two of us, that'd be 20,000 Jewels to travel to Magnolia. From what I've gathered about Jewels, a single Jewel is about 1 U.S. cent. so that means that one train ticket would cost about $100. The Mayor gave us an up front payment of 40,000 Jewel between the two of us, which is about $400. So we have plenty, but I doubt the Mayor would be very happy with us if we just up and left."_

Edmond began to get frustrated with his situation. He understood that Ginville had been good to the two of them, but he was in the same universe in Fairy Tail, and the guild was just a few miles away. He was so close he could taste it, and that made him all the more eager to fight these bandits and get it over with.

After briefly going over their situation, Edmond decided he would get a little more practice with his magic in before he went back home. He wasn't sure when the bandits would attack, but he knew he had to be ready. Something he had found out about his maker magic was that it was particularly unstable if he didn't focus hard enough. His goal as of late had been to create and use two cosmic make whips at once, but he had also decided to branch out by trying some different constructs with his magic.

"No time like the present." Edmond said to himself as he walked to the outskirts of town and chose a suitable location for him to practice. He placed his open right palm on top of his left, outstretched hand. "**Cosmic Make: Sword!**" At his command a shimmering bluish sword appeared in his hand. For a moment he sighed as he felt a bit more magic leave him than he had expected. Granted, this construct was much denser than the whips he makes.

He gave the sword a few test swings, the straight sword swishing about easily through the air. "_It feels easy enough to swing."_ Edmond thought to himself. Of course, he had never properly used a sword before, so he wasn't trained in the arts of swordsmanship. He couldn't rely on this as an effective weapon. He released the handle of the sword and watched as the cosmic energy dissipated into the air. "_I wonder if there is any way for me to learn effective cosmic make spells. Too bad there aren't any cosmic make wizards in town besides myself."_

He knew he needed to get creative with his magic, he was a maker wizard after all. Edmond thought for a minute, then noticed a tree not too far away. He pictured an idea in his mind, something rather silly he thought, but hey. He readied his stance, and called out his spell "**Cosmic Make: Anvil!**" immediately, a large anvil appeared before him. However, unlike flying towards the tree as he had imagined, it merely fell to the ground like a brick. "_Hmm. Perhaps I need to instigate velocity into my technique?"_

Edmond again readied his stance, although he shifted it, this time readying to thrust his hands and body towards his target. "**Cosmic Make: Anvil!**" he called out a second time, this time adding a half spin into his technique and lunging forward, thrusting his hands in front of him. As he had hoped, the anvil was launched at his target, albeit with not as much accuracy as he would have liked. Still, he managed to strike the tree, leaving an anvil shaped hole in its side. The tree then collapsed, making Edmond feel quite proud of himself. Then he flexed his hands, the feeling of so much magic being pumped through him still rather different, and sometimes uncomfortable. "_I'll just have to get used to that feeling." _Edmond thought to himself, before he decided to leave the area and return home.

* * *

Harry whittled away at his most recent project, the wood being slowly formed into the shape of a common handgun. While not perfect, Harry was certainly sending a silent thanks to his scoutmaster for teaching him how to whittle and carve. The sun was beginning to approach the horizon as he continued his work on the porch of the house, almost done with the wooden weapon. "_If this will work like I hope it will, I hopefully won't be as defenseless as I am right now._"

Edmond walked up to the house and saw Harry sitting on the porch, whittling at another piece of wood. "You look like my grandpa sitting on the porch like that." Edmond called out to his friend. The two were clearly exhausted from the day, pleased with themselves for believing that they had accomplished some of their higher, more challenging goals.

Harry merely hummed as he finished with one final stroke of his knife, and deciding that was enough, he folded the pocket knife back up and stowed it. The familiar cyan and gold glow of his magic came from his hand as he began to enchant the piece of wood. "Could your grandpa do that?" Harry asked smugly as the glowing words appeared on the handle of the gun, the glow being maintained. He then moved his hand to the barrel and continued his enchantment. Edmond looked on, his curiosity piqued.

"Making a gun huh? Well, I've never heard of the expression: 'never bring a gun to a magic fight' but now might be the time to coin it." Edmond said as he approached his friend, looking over his work. "There is actual gun magic. Just to warn you." Harry seemed to freeze at that, an incredulous look on his face as he slowly looked over to Edmond to see if he was joking.

"Are you serious?"

"Very." Harry stared at Edmond for a moment longer before he shook his head and continued enchanting.

"I must have missed that then." Harry said absentmindedly, the glowing words continuing to spread on the barrel, his face scrunched up in concentration. The words soon stopped though as Harry breathed a sigh as he looked over the design again. "I'll have to look over that book some more." he said before holding his hand right over the business end of the gun, and continuing to enchant, carefully choosing the words he etched into the soon-to-be weapon.

"So when do you think they're coming?" Edmond asked his friend as he sat down on the edge of the porch.

"The bandits?" Harry asked, his face still expressing his concentration on his project. "How should I know?" Edmond shrugged at his friend's comment, watching him work curiously.

"Well, I don't expect you to know, but I just thought I'd ask." Edmond said nonchalantly. That however seemed to cause Harry to freeze his progress on the small gun. Harry looked over his shoulder with a curious expression.

"Shouldn't you be the one that knows when they're coming? Speaking of your foreknowledge, how far into the series are you? Does it even have an end yet?" Harry asked curiously, now putting all of his attention on his friend, crossing his arms in an expecting manner.

Edmond shrugged "There is an end to the show, and I've seen a lot of it but I never got to the end. I imagine that there's a lot of stuff I won't remember either. I certainly can't remember anything like this happening in the show."

Harry looked back down to his work, a sigh escaping his lips. "So what you're saying is, we won't be able to rely on your foreknowledge to help us out of bad situations all the time."

At that Edmond shook his head "Not reliably at least."

"Well, can you at least remember the important arcs and events? maybe give me a little warning before they happen?" Harry asked, his magic flaring up again as he continued on his project.

"I'm sure I can manage that… but don't expect me to tell you all of the villains weaknesses or anything." Edmond said with an exasperated grin, disappointed at himself slightly, but he knew that he couldn't be expected to remember everything. Harry nodded in understanding, catching his friend's expression out of the corner of his eye. He then held up the small gun, glowing words on both the grip and the barrel, often in varying shapes or sizes, forming basic patterns on the object out of words. Harry then pointed the 'gun' at a nearby tree, and pulled on the trigger. A brief humming sounded as the words on the grip lit up briefly before a sudden blue glowing projectile fired forth from the gun and slammed into the tree, leaving a small scorch mark.

"Good, because even with this, I feel… almost powerless. If the magic and characters are anything like what you've told me that is…" Harry said somewhat despondently as he looked down to his gun, a sense of pride coming to him, but also a sense of slight dread. _How long will it be before this is rendered useless and I'm forced to make a bigger and better one? _Harry's thoughts were interrupted as Edmond suddenly slapped him on the back.

"Dude that was awesome!" Edmond suddenly exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the mark left on the tree. "How did you do that?" Harry looked at his friend wide eyed for a moment, before he looked down to his creation.

"You see these?" Harry asked pointing to a circle formed of words on the top portion of the gun's grip. Edmond looked closer to see that he could read them.

_When the Trigger of this device is pulled, gather magical energy and transfer to the chamber of the same device. _

"Whoa. I can read it. This other one says the same thing." Edmond said, pointing to the other circle of words on the same side of the grip. Harry nodded with a smile.

"Correct, when the trigger is pulled, magic is pulled from around us, and transferred into the chamber." Harry then pointed at the 'chamber, but edmond bore a slightly confused expression upon realizing it was still just a solid block of wood. "The 'chamber' is actually just another enchantment meant to hold magical energy for the discharge which is created by the receiver, and refined by the barrel. This way, the magic is kept stored in the gun and will always fire from the end of the barrel where another enchantment directs the projectile out of the barrel. The enchantments on the barrel make it into an actual projectile instead of just being discharged into the air like a shotgun or something."

Edmond's eyes brightened slightly "So this means that anyone can use this right? you wouldn't have to be a wizard?"

Harry nodded happily "Exactly! Since the gun itself can absorb its own magic energy, there isn't a need for a wizard to supply their own magical energy into the gun." Harry then looked somber for a moment, despite the implications. "Although I doubt I'll be able to get the whole town armed or anything. It takes me a while to make these, and I'm already feeling the strain from it. I might be able to make one more today, but I can already feel my magic being strained. I know this is probably helping me with my abilities, but I don't want to push too hard."

"Of course not man, but it's still really cool that you're able to do this. One day, we'll be strong enough to contend with everyone at fairy tail, I swear." Edmond said confidently, which only causes Harry to shake his head with a grin.

"You and your happy-go-lucky attitude. Maybe one day, but right now, we're just novices." Harry then looked out over to the horizon, as the sun began to set, he once again was in slight awe at the beauty of the countryside. Edmond joined him, a happy smile on his face. "We really are stuck here…" Harry said somewhat somberly as all of a sudden, memories of home resurfaced, both happy and sad. Edmond yawned, breaking Harry out of his reminiscing.

"Welp, I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you in the morning buddy." Edmond said nonchalauntly as he walked into the house, soon closing the door behind him. Harry looked back at the sunset with a slightly more determined gaze. _Even if I am stuck here, at least I'm not alone. And I'm sure as hell not going to let this new world have its way with me. _Harry thought determinedly as he briefly got up and searched for a sizable piece of wood, quickly finding one big enough. He sat back on the porch and began to whittle once again, intent on making another one of his 'guns'.

* * *

Edmond walked through the streets of Ginville, a clear goal in mind as he eyed the various shops around him. The town was small enough to walk around easily, so he didn't bother to ask direction for where he was aiming to go. And soon enough his eyes laid upon the store of his desire. "Bernard's Tailoring" was the name of the store, and he believed that they might just have exactly what he's looking for.

"Bingo." Edmond said to himself as he sauntered confidently up to the door of the establishment. The smell of fabrics and dyes hit his nose as he entered the clothing store. He briefly looked around, seeing that the mens and women's sections were split between the two halves of the store, with shoes being in the center, albeit it was a rather small section of the whole building. Then he noticed a receptionist that was now looking at him with interest, and upon moving his gaze to hers, she smiled.

"Welcome to Bernard's tailoring!" She said happily, as Edmond approached. "Is there anything I can help you with today?" Edmond nodded suredly, a pleased expression on his face.

"Yes, I'm looking for a duster, preferably leather and black." Edmond requested, and the receptionist nodded with a smile.

"Of course sir, I imagine you'd look rather dashing in a duster." She said, a small wink in her eye, causing Edmond to pause for a moment to register that. _Was that flirting? _He asked himself, the receptionist walking around, out of the counter, and towards the men's section, with Edmond following all the while. Soon they came upon a small rack of various dusters of different sizes and materials, all of which interested Edmond, but only two stood out, both of which the receptionist pulled and held out in each hand to give him a better look.

The one in her right hand was a bit short for a duster, the ends of it coming down in spike shapes, the leather having been cut that way, roughly above knee height. The sleeves were currently rolled up, obviously meant to be worn that way. Finally the collar was short, but sharp looking as it hugged close to the neck area of the duster. The second one was much longer, potentially reaching down to below the knees, ending in a solid strip of thick leather that bound it. The sleeves were long, but lacked any additional details. The collar was much bigger than the first, and stuck out past the neck slightly. These seemed like the best choices Edmond had among the rack of dusters.

Edmond smiled "The longer one," he said proudly. The receptionist smiled back at him.

"A fine choice, and might I say one that would compliment someone as striking as yourself."

Edmond froze for a second. _What the heck? _He thought to himself as the woman looked at him slyly. _Why is she getting all flirty? _After that brief bout of confusion, the woman placed the smaller duster back on the rack, before walking over to the counter, with Edmond following. "Thanks!" he said to the woman, who he now realized had quite a rack on her chest "How much'll it be?"

"Hmm, let's see here." The lady said, examining the fine piece of attire. "The tag marks it at 25,000 Jewel."

Edmond was taken aback. _25,000!?_ "Umm…" he said "That's a little more expensive than I was hoping it'd be." His voice a bit downtrodden, believing he would be forced to give up on his purchase.

"Oh, well that's not a problem at all for not only a first-time customer, but also the guardian wizard of Ginville." The Receptionist responded, setting her arm on the counter and leaning her chest into it "I think for someone like that we could put together some kind of special discount."

Edmond became a little flustered "uh, yea. That'd be great!" he said "How much of a discount could I get?"

The receptionist began moving her finger in a circle on the surface of the desk, looking up as if in thought "Oh, I'd say maybe cut the price by about...10,000 Jewel, which would come out to around 15?" She said, moving her eyes to his "How's that sound?"

"T-That sounds good, I could d-definitely do that." Edmond said slightly nervously as she inched her face closer to his, being able to smell the sweet perfume off her person. She smiled seductively as she slowly leaned back, a sly smile once again gracing her face.

"Alright, well, just this once, I'll give it to you for the discounted price. That'll be… 15,000 jewels." She said, her tone becoming even more provocative as she finished her sentence. As Edmond began to fish out the required funds, she bit her lip as she stared at him. "So… Do you have any plans toni-"

"Violet! Are you flirting with the customers again!?" A gruff voice suddenly called, causing Violet to nearly stumble over herself as she was literally called out. The voice in question was joined by the sight of a large round man, wearing a rather finely made causal suit. He was bald, but sported a rather impressive beard that covered his face, completing his appearance.

The large man walked over to the register where the two were standing "I deeply apologize to my good sir for any discomfort my employee has caused you. I'm afraid that sometimes when she has her eyes set on something or someone she gets a little out of hand."

Violet merely shrugged "What can I say? A woman has her needs."

Bernard glared at her vexely "Would it be prudent for me to offer you a discount on this fine garment?" he offered, lifting the duster on the counter with his hands as if in presentation.

Edmond waved his hand in protest "No sir, she's already offered me a decent enough discount as it is."

At that Bernard stepped back in realization "ah, is that so," he started, glaring back at Violet "Then I suppose she was intending on obtaining her sales commision in another manner."

Violet rolled her eyes, although Edmond seemed oblivious as to what Bernard meant. Thankfully Edmond already had the agreed upon amount, and the transaction process from then was short, with Edmond leaving the building wearing his new leather duster and a confident smile on his face, albeit still with a hint of pink from the interaction with Violet.

* * *

Harry sighed as he placed another completed 'gun' on the ground next to him as it joined the three others that he had made earlier. He winced as he stood up from his place on the porch, realizing he had been sitting there for far longer than he should have. He stretched briefly as he thought about what else he could do today. While the prospect of just continuing to enchant did enter his mind, he could feel his magic reserves had been near depleted from his efforts. So instead, Harry once again made his way to the town library, intent on looking through the list of magics once again to see if there was anything that might help him.

The trip to the library was short enough, and he once again found the book, pleased that it's location had been undisturbed since he last put the book up. 'Common and Uncommon magics of the world' was proving to be a treasure trove of information for the young mage as he once again delved into its contents. Although one magic in particular had been on his mind ever since Edmond had mentioned it.

"Gun Magic." Harry said to himself, an excited grin on his face as he read the contents on said magical type. While he wasn't sure what to expect, the contents were rather ordinary, which made him slightly disappointed. While there seemed to be special magical skills one could learn being a 'gun wizard' the majority of the section described how it made firing with gun weapons much easier, and made them much more powerful. Along with this, it often involved replacing actual ammo with magically created ammo which one could replenish with their magic, effectively making their weapons not require ammo. "Generic, but definitely useful. Perhaps I could expand my horizons a bit…" He remembered that the introduction to the book explained that those with magical abilities could learn other forms of magic, but it was often more difficult than learning and experimenting with one's own natural magical type.

"I'll have to consider that later… for now…" Harry began, before his stomach suddenly finished his sentence for him, the low grumbling sound carrying rather embarrassingly well in the quiet library. He got up from his chair, returned the book to its rightful place, and left to visit a restaurant. Normally he would be buying groceries or at least something to fix at home, however due to their house's lack of any kind of decent cooking equipment, Both he and Edmond had more or less been forced to just eat at the local establishments. He had thought about potentially enchanting his own appliances, but considered that he could test if his enchantments were safe for food when they weren't expecting bandits to attack at any time.

It was easy enough to find a place to eat in town, as most of the local restaurants were all on main street. As he picked a place though, he noticed a familiar figure also walking around, looking curiously. Harry decided to approach, his movement being noticed by the figure, causing him to smile.

"Hey man, I guess you were looking for something to eat?" Edmond asked as Harry got closer, and responded with a nod.

"How about that place right there? It looks like it serves italian food. or this world's equivalent to it at least." Harry offered, his friend quickly agreeing. As they entered, Harry decided to ask about something he had noticed different about his friend. "Edmond, where did you get that duster?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh, uh," Edmond began "I got it at that Bernard's Tailoring store." He pointed towards the establishment a couple blocks away, although his face began to turn slightly red, despite his internal protests. Harry noticed his friend's embarrassment, but decided not to comment.

"So how much was it?" He inquired. Harry didn't know much about tailored materials, but he knew an expensive garment when he saw one. After he asked this, a waiter saw them to their tables.

"Oh, It was actually a really good price since I got a discount." Edmond attempted to divert the conversation, but Harry pushed the issue.

"How much was it discounted?" He asked, glancing at the menu before him.

"Oh, umm." Edmond scratched the back of his head "Admittedly I was a little distracted, so I can't exactly remember."

"Distracted by what?" Harry inquired, his tone becoming more impatient.

"Uhhhhh..." Edmond began to get flustered "A rack?"

"A rack? A rack of what? Sexy underwear?" Harry asked in an amused tone.

"Uh...something along those lines I guess." was Edmond's response. Harry was taken aback slightly.

"Why would you be where the sexy underwear is in the first place? Don't tell me you're turning into a cross-"

"NO!" Edmond suddenly shouted, probably louder than intended. "I-I mean, no, I'm not… I just saw it, and was… uh, transfixed."

"You were transfixed by underwear? I wouldn't have pinned you down as that kind of perv." Harry mocked.

Edmond's face had turned a glowing red at this point "Well...it wasn't quite the underwear I was transfixed with as it was the rack itself."

"I don't-" Then Harry realized what Edmond was talking about, and he couldn't resist the urge to face palm. "Please don't tell me you were caught staring at a woman's boobs."

"Listen, its not my fault! She was practically shoving them in my face." Harry looked at him in disbelief, before he remembered all of the other interactions with women since coming here to Earthland. Once he realized what was going on, he groaned, already knowing where this was going to lead them in the long run. "It seems that something terrible has happened to you Edmond." At that, Edmond's eyes seemed to get wide with slight fear. "You have an unnatural ability to attract the oppistie sex, one that seems to work on nearly every female you've met so far." At this thought, Edmond seemed skeptical.

"Really? I don't think thats whats going on." Edmond said as he crossed his arms, waiting to hear some reasoning behind his friend's 'accusation'.

"I beg to differ. Almost every interaction you've had with women has left them flustered or worse, all without you trying. Take the receptionist from the mayor's office, or the lady on the street on the first night coming here. They were both falling over their own words when they saw you." Harry explained, pausing as he saw Edmond thinking back to it, his face slowly becoming one of realization. "Or with the crowd yesterday, most of them were obviously women who were much more interested in you than the actual show you were performing. and now this other girl was apparently pushing her boobs in your face… face it. You are now the bland protagonist of a harem anime."

At that, Edmond's expression changed to one of shock and horror as he is left speechless as his friend helps him make a realization that should have been obvious. Harry orders their drinks when the waitress returns. And as his eyes drift to the menu, Edmond still coming to terms with his new situation, he eyes the prices of the meals.

"Edmond… how much was that Duster again?"

* * *

Emond found himself roaming around just outside the village's perimeter. He had been asked by their captain of the guard to patrol this area and keep watch for any bandits. Edmond, of course, didn't mind the job. It made him feel like he was doing something important. The fact that this particular area was rather scenic was a plus. He felt the brisk wind flow through the green field, the tall grass swaying under its gentle push. As he felt the cool wind lick his fingertips he looked down at the duster he bought not but a few days ago, thankful to it for helping him stay warm on this slightly colder day, despite its 'slightly' controversial purchase.

_This place is actually quite beautiful _he thought to himself. As that thought crossed his mind though, he noticed some strange movement out along the treeline. He began to walk to investigate, but as he got closer he realized a small group of men rushing towards him out of the forest, more and more following behind him. He then realized that this was one of the raiding parties he had been tasked to protect the village from.

Edmond began to sprint back towards the village, calling out to the village guards in an attempt to alert them. The two that he could see nearby seemed to get the message easily. One ran into the village while the other got into a defensive position, as he withdrew a familiar shaped object from his belt. Edmond got beside him as the raiding party rushed them, about six of them in total, making Edmond feel a little overwhelmed.

While this was the first time he would be getting into an actual fight, he was somewhat confident in the practice he had been doing, and was determined to defend the town. He got into his casting stance, and summoned a simple whip with his magic, making it crack in the air mentally a few times to get himself ready. The bandits did not seem deterred. As one of them got close enough, wielding what looked to be a scimitar, Edmond made the whip quickly snap out to him, the cosmic energy snapping across the man's face, sending him to the ground with a solid thump. Edmond attempted to repeat that result with the next one, but the man blocked the whip with what appeared to be a shield made of solid air. The near translucent shield somehow withstanding the force of the whip, and allowing the bandits to draw closer.

"More will be coming, we need to take these out quickly." The guard next to Edmond said, before aiming down the hand cut sights of the enchanted gun he had been given, and firing. The light blue projectile soared true, and struck the man furthest to the right, hitting him in the shoulder, and causing him to pause and flinch in pain, but not much else. The guard was slightly baffled by the ineffectiveness, but kept firing anyway, almost every shot hit the man, each one making him get slower with his approach.

Edmond smirked as he got into his casting stance once again, dissipating the whip, and pulling his hands back behind him a bit. "**Cosmic make: Anvil!**" At those words, Edmond thrust his arms forward as a large anvil shaped chunk of cosmic energy went flying towards the bandits, the men's faces going from somewhat excited to quiet dread as the anvil soared through the air towards them. The three men that were in it's direct path scrambled out of it's way, but the one in the center was not fast enough, and wound up getting a facefull of anvil as the heavy cosmic creation slammed into him, sending him to the ground, unconscious. The other bandits looked at this with mild shock as one of their members had just been downed by a single spell.

"A Lucky shot! Just wait till the others get here, this one won't know what hit him." One bandit said, the same bandit that had been smacked with the cosmic whip earlier in fact, and was now upright again. As he said this, a different bandit seemed to focus on his own sword, the steel weapon now glowing with a bluish tint.

As the one with the sword attacked him, Edmond backpedaled to dodge the swing, attempting to brandish his own sword before he could attack. As he formed the sword in his hand, he felt the magic energy become unstable, and the resulting blade appeared more flame-like than sword-like. The sword-wielding mage swung again, but Edmond was fast enough to keep his distance, if only marginally. Edmond swung his sword towards the bandit's mid-section, but there wasn't enough reach from the blade. He noticed that the blade couldn't hold its own length, and was shifting its size erratically.

Edmond was forced to step back again as the bandit attacked again. Edmond changed his stance to go on the defensive, and put his blade up to guard, but when the two swords clashed, there was a strong magical force that caused Edmond to get pushed back and lose his balance. Losing his concentration, he let loose the handle of his own blade, but as soon as he did, the sword didn't disappear like it normally would. Instead it dropped to the ground and began to throb with intense magical energy. Edmond didn't like the look of that, and hastened the guard to hit the deck.

Just as Edmond's body hit the ground, the blade he had created exploded into an intense explosion of cosmic energy, sending everyone on their feet flying back onto the ground several feet from the origin of the explosion. _What the hell?! _Edmond thought to himself as he got up from the ground. He didn't seem to be harmed, and due to his quick thinking wasn't sent flying like the rest of them. He didn't have much time to think though, as the bandits clamored to their feet, now wary of this unwarrantedly powerful seeming wizard.

Right as they were about to initiate their counter attack, the bandits heard the sound of footsteps behind them, and turned around, their faces growing more confident. Edmond seems to realize what was about to happen, as does the guard, and the two quickly leave the scene while the bandits are distracted, deciding to continue the fight with more than just the two of them.

Thankfully it seemed the guards had gotten somewhat organized in that time, and had set up a front line within the street leading to the square, some of them having grabbed barrels or crates to use as cover and use their 'guns' to shoot over, Others however were more or less forced to stand their ground in the middle of the street, equipped with spears. Edmond vaulted over a small crate with the guard following immediately afterward. They ducked down, and looked over the edge to see that quite a few more bandits were now slowly making their way towards the line.

"There are a few of them huh?" A familiar voice called to Edmond, and he looked to his right to see Harry up against the side of a store, within an alley, wielding what he could only describe as a replica tommy gun with a drum magazine. "Think we can do this?" He asked seriously, keeping his eyes forward on the approaching mass of wizards. Edmond looked at the mass as well with a building nervousness, a bit unsure himself, but still willing to try.

"I think we can." Edmond said as he stood up, and took the front line with several of the guards. He formed a cosmic whip in one hand, and then attempted to conjure a sword in his other, but quickly gave up on that idea as his whip began to fall limp and began to lose its shape. He re-concentrated on the whip, and got into a defensive stance, ready for any attack. The opposing wizards all held their hands up, various kinds of magic glowing from each of them, a menacing sight to be sure.

"Hehe, they may have two wiz-" Before one of the bandits could even finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a shout from the barricade they were facing.

"Open fire!" Harry suddenly yelled, prompting all of the guards that had pistols to aim at the wall of wizards and fire, causing most of them to lose focus. Harry himself stepped out from the building slightly, and pulled his own trigger. The magical tommy gun glowed with magical energy as the drum seemed to absorb a fair bit of magic and release it in a continual burst of automatic fire, the mass of bodies being a perfect target. Any other wizards that had hoped to get in an attack had their hopes quickly crushed as the onslaught of magical bullets assaulted them.

"**Cosmic Make: Anvil!**"Edmond yelled, dropping the concentration on his whip, and throwing out another anvil into the crowd, hitting four of them at once, not being able to dodge from the intense magical barrage.

The fire from the weapons seemed to be having a great effect, but the stubbornness of the bandits was evident as they trudged on, despite being severely weakened from the onslaught. The weakened state of the bandits did help Edmond to take out the bandits, and he was able to drastically shrink their numbers.

Eventually, though, the bandits reached the perimeter of the village, and that was when it was time for the guards armed with spears as well as Harry to start taking bandits on mono-e-mono.

Edmond again brandished his whip, facing and circling a bandit. It was the bandit who attacked first, but this one seemed to be from the slow and stupid section of the gene pool. The bandit came in with rather clumsy hands and fists, and Edmond easily outmatched him in speed. As the bandit swung his fist, Harry dodged, grabbing the other end of his whip with his free hand and wrapping it around the bandit's arm. With the bandit's arm secure, Harry forced him to the ground and delivered a rather disrespectful elbow to the back of the head, knocking the bandit out cold. After that, Edmond quickly got up, in search of his next opponent.

As he did, a bandit came running at him with a yell, Edmond preparing to intercept the attack, before a barrage of magical projectiles pelted him in the side hundreds of times before he fell to the ground, clutching his side. Then more bullets slammed into his prone form as Harry walked slow up, not stopping his assault. After a moment, he was forced to change targets as another Bandit rushed him from the side, but he too was overwhelmed by sheer number of projectiles thrown at him. Edmond nodded at his friend as Harry looked his way, who nodded in return, the receiver to the tommy gun smoking a bit all the while.

Bandits seemed to slowly surround the two of them, and the two wizards were suddenly the center of attention for the bandits. Edmond stretched out his whip and began to whirl it around at high speeds, almost daring anyone to try to enter its range. Harry nealt down on a knee, and began to fire relentlessly into the crowd, none of them being able to dodge the incredibly fast shots. A few attempted to rush the two of them, but Edmond's whip smacking them across the road kept them safe as Harry shot into the crowd.

The guards on the outside were doing rather well for themselves, the ones with pistols kept themselves at a distance, and allowed the guards with spears to keep the bandits distracted while the other took potshots. Eventually it seemed the bandits realized they weren't gaining any ground, and were in fact, losing this fight.

"Lets get outta here!" One bandit yelled as he made a break for the exit from which they came. A few others followed suit. The more stubborn ones kept attacking, mostly focusing on Edmond and Harry, allowing some of the guards to fire at the distracted bandits as their numbers thinned.

"No way! I ain't no coward!" One particularly large bandit said as he rushed the two wizards who were doing most of the damage to the bandit's numbers. Edmond's whip smacked him in the face, but he seemed to keep pushing, even as it smacked him again and again. Harry then focused his attention on the oncoming brute, focusing his rifle at the man's chest, before pulling back on a lever within the rifle. A moment passed, before a solid beam of magical energy burst from the end of the barrely, slamming into his chest, and causing smoke to rise from the impact point. Then the beam stopped, and the man shook his head as he continued his march.

"Okay… now thats just stupid." Harry said, holding his gun off to the side, which was now far blacker and smokier than it had started. He pulled out a pistol identical to the ones the guards were using and began to fire at the brute, keeping the pressure on.

As the brute got closer, Edmond stepped up. He had an idea he thought just might be perfect for this particular enemy. Edmond readied his stance, not flinching at the approaching mountain. "**Cosmic Make: Hammer!**" Harry called out. He felt the magical energy flow through him as the handle formed in his hands, the head of the hammer becoming almost as big as him. He slammed the hammer down just in front of the charging brute, causing the ground to crack beneath it. The brute finally stopped his approach as Edmond began to spin the massive weapon, smashing it into the side of the mountainous bandit, sending him flying.

After Edmond released the hammer, everything calmed down, the bandits now in full retreat. Harry looked at his obviously tired friend "Pulled that one out of your ass, didn't ya?" He snarked.

"Actually kinda feels like it to be honest." Edmond responded, his voice straining slightly. Despite it being made out of magical energy, Edmond still found the hammer more difficult to wield than he had expected or would have hoped. Nevertheless it appeared they had one, even if it was by a rather thin margin.

* * *

Harry could only smirk in amusement as Edmond greedily gouged down on many of the foodstuffs that were provided for the village as a small party took place in celebration of driving back the bandits. They had set up the festivities rather quickly after the guards had been tended to, with the most extreme injury being a heavily bruised arm, which was easily taken care of. There were a few tables of food that were set up outside of the town hall, where the actual party was being thrown. Nearly the whole town seemed to be there, with many family and friends of the guard coming to congratulate them and make sure they were okay. Harry's eyes then caught sight of three women, two familiar, and one unfamiliar, approach Edmond. The two he recognized were the Mayor's receptionist and the then the first woman that they had run into when they were first dropped into this world.

"Good luck brother." Harry said with slight amusement, already imagining how horribly that situation would go. Then another thought came to him. _What if all three of them… oh no… _Harry thought as he wondered how long it would be until his friend's innocence was stolen from him. Silently he was both jealous and at the same time not jealous of Edmond's 'curse'. _At least I don't have to deal with anything like that. _Harry thought silently as he sipped on a glass of wine that had been generously provided by the mayor.

"So Harry, what will the two of you do now?" The Mayor's voice prompted the young man to look towards his position as they sat across from each other. "Of course, if either one of you wish to continue your duties here, then I'd be more than willing to continue to pay twice of what a guard makes for you to stay here." Harry pondered those words. While Edmond did wish to go to Fairy Tail, this was a fairly stable job that paid well. _Even if one of us sucks at money management. _Harry mused frustratingly as he glanced over to his friend, and much to his amusement was now observing the women bicker with one another, and trying to calm them down.

"I don't know. I do know Edmond wants to go to Fairy Tail, but honestly this seems like a great place to kinda… settle, especially with what you're offering." Harry mused before taking another sip of the fine tasting red liquid. Then in the manner of a few short moments, everything went to hell. A yell was heard as a rough looking man suddenly rushed towards Edmond, many following suit, seemingly coming from everywhere. Some from alleys, other from the tops of houses as bandits began to surround the festivities, forcing people to run from the attackers. Some who were braver, or slower got caught by the newly arrived bandits, turning into hostages. Edmond was fast enough to rush past the small crowd by the food tables, and began to activate his magic, ready to fight again.

Harry was forced to put his wine down, and ushered the mayor to the crowd for safety as some of the guards began to make a makeshift barrier around the crowd, while others that had been relatively unscathed during the last fight began to fight back against the new attackers. _Damn it. I should have known it wouldn't have been that easy. _Harry thought tiredly as he pulled out his own enchanted pistol, now seriously regretting he had used his last weapon's self destructive trump card.

Edmond slung his whip, striking another enemy wizard, before two more took his place, just as eager as the first one. "There's a lot more than there were earlier!" Edmond yells in slight desperation as he uses his whip to wrap around one wizard's waist, before flinging him into two others.

"Seems like it!" Harry called back to his friend "Guess they didn't expect us to put up much of a fight then!" He fired at some of the approaching bandits, but their numbers were overwhelming, and soon they were upon the rookie wizard. Harry sent a swift roundhouse to one bandit that had lightning arching off of his arms, and fired at one that approached his other side, but was caught as some kind of vine wrapped around his torso, and then his arms, and then his legs as he was rendered immobile. Edmond used another Anvil to send three bandits sprawling before a powerful strike hit his back, right into another bandit who reared back a flame covered fist and struck his gut, sending him crashing into the ground, throwing up dust and debris.

With the two wizards sprawled out on the floor, the bandits corralled the rest of the townspeople. They cooed and mocked the townspeople at their victory, and mocked the once proud wizards. Edmond struggled to get to his feet, and wound up being pulled up violently by his arms by two of the bandits, while Harry struggled to get free from his viney prison, only resulting in the vines getting tighter.

Then everything became quiet as a tall slender man carrying a scythe. He wore a black scarf and a black heavily torn skirt, as well as he had what appeared to be tattoos on his chest and stomach. "Well what do we have here?" The strange man said "Seems like we've caught those pesky Wizards we heard about. Guess I was right, they were nothing to worry about after all." At that, the bandits burst out in laughter, causing Harry and Edmond to frustratingly glare at their attackers.

Edmond recognized the man from the show. _Erigor!_ _Why the hell is he here?_ Edmond knew that this wizard was powerful, and that neither he nor Harry would be able to match him. Then one of the bandits dragged the mayor out from the crowd and threw him to Erigor's feet.

"You fiend!" The mayor cried "what are you doing back here! Can't you just let this town be?"

Erigor laughed "And why should I? All I want is to get what I'm owed, but instead I found out that you gave it to these two sorry excuses for wizards instead!"

"Ginville doesn't owe you anything! You never completed your end of the job." the mayor shouted back in protest, making Edmond suddenly freeze up. _Why the hell would he hire Erigor for any kind of job!? _Emond asked himself in his head, now suddenly very confused about the situation he's wound up in the middle of.

"My end?!" The wind mage jeered "You didn't tell me that the head I was after was a fucking GUILD LEADER! Do you know how much that cost me? I'm just after the damages that it cost me." _He hired him for… an assassination? _Harry asked himself as he heard the conversation go on, trying to process what was being said. _If this keeps going on though… well, that scythe looks sharp._

"Do you understand what's at stake here?! You will never receive one red cent from this village!"

At that, Erigor became outraged "Alright then, I'll put it this way." He motioned for the bandits to lift Edmond off the ground and lifted his scythe to Edmond's throat, causing a multitude of women to gasp. "You're going to provide me with all the payment I'm due, or this sorry excuse for a wizard is going to get a lot of weight lifted off his shoulders!"

"STOP!" A loud yell came from the other end of the area. Both Erigor and the mayor looked over to see Harry still tied up. "You want repayment right? I can get you repayment." This seemed to pique Erigor's interest as he suddenly sped over to the wizard, seemingly disappearing and reappearing in front of him.

"And how might you be able to do that?" Erigor asked in a low voice as he knelt down to get closer to the young man's face. Harry began to sweat from nervousness, knowing that his next few words might be his last.

"I can make you anything you want. A weapon, a device that can transmute gold. Anything! I'll make you anything… just. Don't hurt anyone else." Erigor seemed slightly amused by those words and the desperate tone in which they were said.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Erigor seemingly mocked as he got even closer to Harry, who was now able to smell the assassin's breath.

"See those pistols? Take a look at them. They're the result of my magic." As Harry said this, Erigor motioned for one of his bandits to get one of the guns from the guards, who did so, and after handing it to Erigor, looked at it with curiosity. After a moment his eyes went wide.

"These are solid blocks of wood. What kind of gun magic is this?" Erigor asked, his attention now fixed on the tied up wizard.

"It's not gun magic, it's my special kind of enchantment magic that allows me to basically make anything I want. Those pistols don't even require someone to be a wizard to wield them to work. Even though they lack a lacrima." Harry said somewhat confidently upon seeing Erigor's mildly shocked face. However it soon turned to an evil grin as he glared down at the wizard.

"Good. Your going to make me a weapon… one that can destroy a city…" Erigor said darkly as he took the butt end of his scyth and slammed it into the side of Harry's head, rendering him unconscious. The bandit next to Harry picked him up easily as Erigor turned back to the rest of the town.

"Today, this wizard will become my hostage. If any of you decide to pursue me…" Erigor began, eyeing Edmond who had now fixed him with a death glare. "...I will personally see to it that he takes a nap he'll never wake up from. Let them go, but take all of the pistols this wizard has made." He ordered, and the bandits that were holding Edmond let him fall to the ground with a thud, and any bandits that had guards held up also let them go. They proceeded to check the pockets of every guard in the town, collecting the weapons with relative ease. Edmond rose to his knees, and fixed Erigor with a furious stare as the wind mage glanced to the mayor. "If his claim turns out to be true, you can consider your debt to me paid in full." He said, before he began to glide into the air, being lifted by his wind magic, and the bandits began to run from the area, their new prize in hand.

Edmond attempted to get up, but a bolt of pain in his back forced him to his knees again, meaning he could only watch as the bandits made off with his best friend.

* * *

The next day, Edmond found himself in the mayor's office, the city official leaning on his elbows, his face in his hands "This is all my fault," The mayor said "because of my actions, this town has suffered at the hands of bandits and your friend was taken for as a hostage on my account."

Edmond merely looked at the man with pity "Well, we can't just sit here. We have to do something about it!"

"I can not allow you to do anything that might jeopardize this village or your own life. We need someone more experience to deal with this." The mayor looked up at Edmond "I'm going to send you to Fairy Tail personally to recruit a sharp team of wizards. They are no doubt the closest wizard guild to us, and are famed for their talents." The mayor told Edmond, who's eyes immediately brightened up, despite the situation.

"Then we haven't a moment to lose!" Edmond said as he shot up from his seat, and began running towards the door.

"WAIT!" the mayor called out to Edmond, who was already halfway through the door "Inform them that the town will pay whatever is a fair price for their trouble on completion of the job! Bring them here once it is complete and we'll make sure they are duly compensated." At that Edmond sent a thumbs up towards the mayor, and then began to leave the office and building, making his way towards the center of town, quickly buying some traveling supplies and a backpack. Then he made his way to the end of town, a sign post near the road that had Clover town painted on a pointed sign, with 'towards magnolia' right underneath it. He smiled, but his smile faltered slightly as he remembered the exact reason for his trip to Fairy Tail. _I need to focus, Harry's life is on the line. _Edmond thought as he began his lengthy trek across the country.

* * *

**Author's notes**

**Once again a reminder that this is a joint writing project with Black_Hawk931 and that he's the only real reason this was all able to be put out. This is something that's a little different from my normal style I know, but I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter for what it was, the next one will definitely have familiar faces in them as Fairy tail gets involved. I'm hoping that my upload schedule won't be super effected by this, but depending on what happens, I might put Shop Class on Hiatus. (Fair warning to those that read that). But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always…**

**Thanks for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3- Seeking Help

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**Seeking Help**

Edmond sighed happily as he reached Clover town. The afternoon sun beating down on him slightly, but thankfully he didn't intend to stay in it for long. The city was slightly larger than Ginville, and had plenty of places for him to stop and eat before he went to the train station. As he went into a local restaurant to take care of his dietary needs, his mind was more focused on his situation, and just how careless he had been since coming here.

_I guess I assumed everything would be fine since I've watched the show… But now that I think about it, there are some pretty dark moments in the series. _Edmond thought as he stared at the menu in front of him, quickly picking out a basic meal to satisfy his needs. _And Considering its Erigor, It might be smart to get Team Natsu involved. _Despite his earlier thoughts, he couldn't help but feel slightly giddy about being able to meet the legendary team. _Honestly, I probably only need Erza, but it never hurts to get all of them involved. _His thoughts were broken by the waitress that came to take his order. Thankfully the interaction was short and sweet, even if the waitress had been a little flirtatious.

"I guess Harry was right… like he typically is." Edmond said quietly as he thought about the one of the last things he and his friend had talked about. Now that he knew, he could practically feel the stares of some of the women in the restaurants, and honestly wishing he didn't. _For how smart Harry is though, why wasn't he more cautious? Pot, meet kettle. I'm no less guilty than he is in that regard, especially considering I know that kind of dangers that exist. It's too late now I suppose. _Edmond thought as a slight depression entered his mind, making him frown deeply.

Once his food arrived, he ate quietly as he continued to wonder how else he might be able to use his magic, and hopefully get his friend out of the situation he was currently in.

* * *

The Train ride to magnolia had been uneventful as the vehicle brought Edmond to his destination. The crowd busily flooded out and once Edmond had stepped off, he instantly recognized the station, the area almost being a surreal replication of the anime, but looking realistic. It was both strange and satisfying for him to see it like it is. Nevertheless he moved his way out of the station and was able to rather easily spot a familiar peak of the fairy tail guild hall. The building in the original state before the phantom lord arc. He began to move towards the building at a brisk pace.

"Alright, so it's definitely before Phantom lord, but by how long? Am I at a point before Lucy ever shows up? Maybe." Edmond said quietly to himself as he walked along Magnolia's streets. "But what if I'm even earlier in the series, like, before Erza became an S-Class mage or something!?" That particular thought left him as quickly as it came however, as he remembered just who he had dealt with just yesterday. "No way, Erigor is around, and presumably not with the eisenwald guild, so it's at least after the lullaby arc. That narrows the current time by a lot actually." Edmond said to himself as, before he knew it, he was before the recognizable entrance to Fairy Tail.

As he approached the building, he began to feel a bit of nostalgia. _Gosh, I feel like it's been so long since the guild hall looked like this. I never really considered how short of a time this version of it was around for compared to the others._ As he continued onward, he found himself in a sudden state of urgency. _I have to remember why it is I came here. My friend's life is on the line. _As he walked through the door of the guild hall, he took a brief pause. He found immediately that he recognized most of the faces present, then a couple in particular as he saw Mira and Lucy at the bar in conversation about something. He then proceeded to walk swiftly to the bar, and upon arriving, Mira shifted her gaze to the new arrival. "I need your help." Edmond proclaimed "It's very urgent."

"If you have a request then you are most welcome to post it on the request board over on the wall." Mira directed, gesturing to said board. Lucy looked at Edmond with a bit of a shock, surprised at his appearance.

"There's no time, I came to request this job in person because of its urgency. I have to take a team immediately." As he spoke, He became a little more urgent in his tone, hoping to convey how he felt, and how important this was to him.

"Wow, it must be really urgent if you came here yourself!" Lucy said as she began to involve herself in the conversation. "What happened?" Edmond looked to the blonde, her features easily recognizable to anyone that had even glanced at a poster or ad for the show. He had to pause a bit due to her looks, and the fact she still sounded exactly like the show, but quickly recovered.

"Its… my friend." Edmond said, trying his best to slow down. "He's been captured by bandits led by a guy named Erigor. He's being forced to build some kind of weapon for them, but who knows what they're putting him through." Both Lucy and Mira perked up a bit at the mention of Erigor, with the former becoming more on edge, while the latter seemed to adopt a look of distaste.

"E-Erigor, as in, the former Eisenwald member? The same guy that did a bunch of assassinations and stuff?" Lucy asked tentatively, shaking a little as she remembered her encounters with the dark guild assassin. Mira seemed in contemplation as the blonde asked this.

"I… I guess, he did say that he was hired to kill someone." Edmond said tentatively, not wanting to give away too much of what he knew, but as he thought back to when he saw the scythe-wielder, a convenient string of dialogue came to his mind. "So, I guess you're right." Lucy shook a bit at the information, while Mira only nodded.

"So this is urgent. And what kind of weapon did he want your friend to make?" Mira asked, attempting to get as much information about the job from him as possible.

"All he said was that he wanted one that could destroy a city." Edmond said darkly, making a shiver go up Lucy's back, while Mira's gaze turned sterner. "So please, the mayor of the town said he was willing to pay anything for the job. I need to get my friend back, and I'm definitely going to help anyone that's willing to come along." Edmond said with a sort of resolve he himself had not expected. Mira seemed to smile a bit as he said this, and she nodded assuredly.

"Don't worry, we'll get someone that can help, I'm sure." Mira said confidently, making Edmond breath out a small sigh, even if he didn't have anyone going with him yet.

"Yea, we have plenty of wizards that are willing to help hehe." Lucy said nervously as she shifted to a seat further away from Edmond.

As Lucy said this, an excited-looking pink-haired boy suddenly sprung up from out of nowhere "I'll take the job!" He exclaimed as fire leapt from his mouth. The sudden outburst caused Edmond to jump a little and nearly fall. Mira seemed a bit apprehensive at the boy's outburst, a bit concerned about him taking it.

"Natsu, I'm not sure if that's-" Mira was then cut off.

"Don't sweat it Mira! I've taken care of this guy before, it should be a walk in the park this time!" Natsu flexed his arm as he procured a wide smile, the dragon slayer's words being heard throughout the guild as he yelled. Lucy facepalmed as he said this, obviously already over how the pink-haired boy was acting. Edmond was a bit stunned to see the scene play out, as if the anime itself was playing in front of him with real actors.

Mira frowned slightly "Given that the job hasn't been properly submitted I really shouldn't let you go without an S-class wizard with you as well, but Erza and Mystigan are both on jobs of their own right now. The only one here right now that could go is Laxus." Edmond heard a 'puh' from above them as the name "Laxus" was mentioned. He knew what that meant.

"Ah, we don't need 'em, we got this!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly. And was soon joined by a small blue cat-like creature with white wings and a green knapsack on his back.

"Aye sir!" The cat exclaimed in perfect english, making Edmond stare at the strange creature curiously, knowing it was Happy, but at the same time, still not believing a talking cat to be possible. Natsu then seemed to realize something as he looked at Edmond with a welcoming smile.

"Oh right, never got your name. Mine's Natsu, and this is Happy." Natsu said, pointing to himself and then the blue furred cat being kept afloat by his non-flapping wings. The cat punctuated his introduction with a small 'aye sir' before Natsu looked somewhat expectantly at Edmond. The young man took a moment to shake himself from his stupor before answering.

"Yea, uh, my name's Edmond." He said a bit hesitantly, still a bit mesmerized by speaking to the actual Natsu. "And, like I said before, I really need someone to help me rescue my friend. So if you're willing to take on the job like you said, I'd be really grateful." Edmond said, relief and worry coming to his mind. Relief that someone was going to help, but worry that the person… was Natsu. The dragonslayer looked at him with a neutral look, reading Edmond's face and upon finding whatever he was looking for, or not finding it, he smiled brightly.

"Well then Edmond, you can count on me to get your friend back!" Natsu said confidently, making Edmond chuckle somewhat nervously, hoping someone else would be willing to tag along too.

"Well you guys have fun with that, I really hope you get your friend back safe and sound hehe." Lucy said nervously, as she faced the bar again, suddenly trying to act inconspicuous, but Natsu wouldn't have it.

"Aw come on Lucy, we're a team! We gotta stick together. Plus, he really needs our help with this." Then a thought came to Natsu. "How much are we getting paid anyway?" Facing Edmond, he asked this, and the black-haired man hummed.

"The mayor didn't specify a price, instead he offered to pay double the fair price for a quest like this. So take that as you will, I'm not sure what that would equate to." Edmond said as he thought for a moment, but Natsu simply pumped his fist.

"All right! That settles it then, we're taking the job! C'mon Lucy, lets go!" Natsu said as he grabbed the blonde from her seat and began walking quickly towards the door. Lucy's cries of resisting were not heeded as Natsu and Happy both practically and literally flew out the door.

"Hey! Wait up!" Edmond cried as he made to follow them, trying to keep up with the excited dragonslayer. Mira only sighed as she watched them run off, hoping that they wouldn't get into too much trouble.

* * *

Arriving at the train station was a short affair, as Edmond, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all arrived at the large building. Although there were now quite a few people piled outside of the station, all in line to get to the trains. Natsu grumbled something under his breath, and Lucy seemed to eye the crowd curiously. Edmond was about to ask what was going on, but a man in a conductor's uniform began to speak up.

"Attention everyone! It seems a large section of the tracks leading outside of magnolia have been severely damaged! I regret to inform you that we will not be taking any more passengers, and all trains have been delayed until the tracks are fixed." The conductor's speech was met with shouts of outrage, annoyance, and defiance, with the exception of one.

"All right!" Natsu yelled out happily. "No Train ride for me! Woo!" Edmond merely chucked at Natsu's antics, as he knew that the dragon slayer had horrible motion sickness. Lucy on the other-hand…

"No!" Lucy exclaimed, horror settling on her face. "Don't tell me we have to walk all the way there!? I can't walk all that way!" She cried in misery, if in a slightly over-dramatic style. Natsu put a friendly arm around her shoulders, and smiled brightly.

"Don't worry about it Lucy! This just means we'll have more time to enjoy the scenery!" Natsu said with excitement, but Lucy sent him a death glare, which he heartily ignored.

"You're just happy you won't be on a vehicle." Happy chimed in helpfully. Edmond figured that something like this would happen. _Although, is it because of pure bad luck, or did Erigor have something to do with this? _Edmond thought suspiciously as he watched the crowd calm down slightly, but not by much. "So that means we'll have to get to Ginville on foot." Happy continued, looking at Edmond.

"It would seem that way." Edmond replied, a sigh escaping his lips. _If we follow the tracks, though, we may be able to find out how this happened._ Edmond walked towards the edge of the station, looking on towards the railroad.

"Hey, where ya going? The road's that way!" Natsu called to Edmond who turned to him.

"I think our best bet would be to follow the tracks. It may not be the normal way, but I think it might be quicker" The dark haired man responded "Besides, maybe we can figure out what happened to the track."

"Thats not a bad Idea! I've never really tried that before. C'mon Lucy, Edmond's got the right idea!" He said as he jogged after the man. Lucy looked at them incredulously.

"But thats going to be even harder than a normal trail!" Her pleas were once again ignored as the males continued their trek in following the train tracks. "Ugh! Why am I always the one that has an issue with these kinds of things?" She asked herself tiredly as she reluctantly followed them.

* * *

Edmond had been focused on followed the tracks for quite a while, occasionally glancing at the scenery around him, but otherwise staying focused. So when Natsu suddenly spoke out to him, he jumped a bit.

"So are you a wizard?" Natsu asked, hands behind his head as they walked.

"Well, in a sense you could say that." Edmond responded to the question, scratching the back of his head. "I use magic, so I'm a wizard, but I'm not a member of a guild." Natsu hummed after he said that, before continuing his questioning.

"So what kind of magic do you use?" Natsu asked curiously. Edmond glanced back at the dragon slayer with a sheepish smile.

"Its uh, cosmic make magic. It allows me to create things out of cosmic energy." Edmond said as he allowed some of his magic to release from his left hand, a small shower of cosmic sparks flying out. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all seemed intrigued by the sparks that he showed, and curious about the magic itself.

"Cosmic make? How does that work?" Lucy asked curiously as she involved herself in the conversation. Happy put a paw on his chin as he thought about such possibilities.

"Can you make fish?" Happy asked innocently

"Is that all you think about?" Lucy asked in exasperation.

"To be honest, I don't really know how it works." Edmond admitted "In fact, I don't really know much about it at all." The other three stared at the wizard curiously at this new information. "It just kinda comes naturally, and I've been experimenting with it ever since I discovered it to find out what all I can do with it."

"Thats strange." Lucy observed. "I mean, how long have you been using magic?" She asked, making Edmond freeze up a bit, considering the best way to answer the question. _Okay, think, how am I going to tell them I've only had this magic for like, a week? _Edmond thought to himself, before he turned his head to answer.

"Well, I've only been able to use magic for… about a week." The sudden and blunt answer seemed to shock the two fairy tail wizards as their jaws dropped at the revelation. _Okay, kinda expected that, but best to be… mostly honest. _Edmond thought as he cringed a bit at their reactions. "Its a little complicated, but basically I've always thought that I didn't have any magic potential. Every different kind of magic I tried seemed to result in failure, until I found out about cosmic make magic. I tried it on a whim, and it just… worked."

"Whoa, really?" Natsu asked in amazement, now staring at their new companion in slight awe.

"Uh, yea, it took a while to get the stance right, but I eventually found the right one and it worked." Edmond said nervously with a chuckle.

"That's pretty cool." Natsu said distantly.

"If a little weird." Happy chimed in, flying up to Edmond's right side, and facing him.

"Yea, really weird." Lucy said a bit suspiciously, while not an inherently paranoid person, Lucy found the story of him suddenly finding the right magic to use one day suspicious. She raised her eyebrow, but said nothing more about it, deciding to let it drop for the moment. They continued on as Natsu and Happy asked Edmond all about his magic, And the dark-haired man even demonstrated some of his creations, but only briefly. Lucy appreciated the flashiness of the magic, believing it to be rather pretty, but decided not to involve herself too much. Especially considering she was focusing on just keeping up with them, the walk quickly taking a tole on her feet.

"Wait up, look ahead." Edmond said as he saw something in the distance. As he took a better look, it was a crew of workers, apparently observing the track. The completely broken and mangled portion of it at least. "That must be why the trains aren't running." He said to his companions as they drew nearer.

"No kidding." Happy said as he flew up a little higher than the rest of them, getting a better view of the damage, seeing that a rather large portion of the track was completely broken apart with broken tracks and bent rails.

"Do you think Erigor could have done this?" Lucy asked as they all paused.

"Now that you say that, there's a real possibility. But that means he knew I came here… which means I was followed!" Edmond said, holding his head in shock, Natsu crossing his arms.

"That must mean he's expecting us…" Lucy added with a gulp. Edmond could only nod mournfully. _If he knows, then what's he going to do to Harry? I honestly don't want to know. _Edmond thought worryingly, concern for his friend growing even stronger.

"Then we should move even faster!" Natsu urged, prompting Edmond to nod determinedly and Lucy to moan remorsefully as they all continued to follow the tracks, on their way to Clover City, and then to Ginville.

* * *

The first thing that Harry registered was the feeling of being carried over someone's shoulder, the dull pain forming on his midsection where he was mounted on someone's shoulder. However due to the bobbing, and the fact that his head was still sore and spinning from the strike earlier, he soon drifted back into an unwilling unconsciousness.

The next time he awoke, his thoughts began to spin as he realized he was laying down somewhere, on something very uncomfortable. _Damn it Harry! Why did you let this happen!? We should have been on guard after the first attack! Becoming a guard for a village!? Why did I listen to Edmond? Because he's my best friend and he knows the most about this world… damn it, me. _His thoughts swarmed him as he berated himself for the lack of processing he had been doing the last few days. Certainly, he had been learning plenty about the world and it's magic, but there were more pressing matters at hand when he was doing so.

"Wake up." The simple command was obviously directed at him. Harry attempted to move his limbs, but his entire body was still completely wrapped in vines, with only his head exposed to the elements. He opened his eyes, being welcomed by both the sight of dusk, and Erigor's face right above him. Upon seeing his eyes, Erigor smiled maliciously. "Good little fly." _Fly? The fuck? Is he a spider or something now? Well, I am wrapped up like a cacoon. _"Thought I'd get a few things straight before I took you to your little workshop." He said, moving away, and as Harry followed his form, he noticed an old run down fort of some kind not too far from him. Next to the fort was an old, but rather large, wooden building that looked to be some form of storehouse. Surrounding both structures, and extending past Harry's field of view was a tall wooden log wall, each log ending in a spike, similar to old medieval defences.

"And what is there to get straight?" Harry asked curiously from his position, taking note of the bandits around them, most of them walking around, doing chores or tending to wounds within the area. Only a few were nearby to listen to the conversation, including the wizard that could conjure the vines he was now entrapped in.

"The weapon you said you could make. What exactly are we talking about here? Because I want specifics before I let you start working in our warehouse." Erigor said with a threatening tone, Harry doing his best to keep a straight face during his talk. "So. Tell me about what you can make for us."

"I said I could make you a weapon, you were the one to specify what kind. 'A weapon that can destroy a city' isn't very specific, and is going to take a lot of time to make." Harry began, establishing with Erigor that he was a pragmatist, and trying his best to be as straight faced as possible. _I need him to believe I'll go along with what he wants, a detailed explanation of a device is perfect for that. Then I can begin to plot my escape. _Harry thought somewhat devilishly. "But it's possible, it all depends on what you want. It would be easy to make a detonatable bomb. Have one of your guys sneak it into the city, and then you use a device to detonate it, but it's a one-time use." Harry offered, but Erigor shook his head and a snarl appeared on his face.

"No, not a simple bomb. As appealing as that might sound, I want to be able to use this device regularly, and not put my guys at risk while doing it." Erigor said, and Harry was rather impressed that he would think about his men in such a way, the wizards around him seemed to think the same as they looked to their boss with admiration. "Its hard to find wizards to do the kind of dirty work they do. Anyway. Next!" He said annoying, glaring at Harry.

"Alright, well, given your specifications, how about a magical missile system? Something that can fire ranged magical attacks from even miles away, all targeted with something akin to a global positioning system. Perhaps a drone to accompany it so it can get an accurate view of the target, and then an AI to calculate the distance fr-"

"Get to the damn point egghead!" Erigor finally shouted, having grown more upset with their captive the more he rambled. Harry glared at him for being interrupted, but realized he couldn't exactly afford to upset him anymore.

"The point is that I can make a weapon that can fire magical projectiles capable of leveling a city from miles away. Is that better?" Harry groaned in annoyance, and Erigor hummed as he listened, trying to remember the rant from earlier and pick out the parts he understood.

"That'll do, but make it one missile or whatever. One shot, one city." Erigor demanded, and Harry merely nodded, but said nothing in return. "Release him, he's harmless now." As he said that, the vines around Harry suddenly withered and died, covering the man with brown dead pieces of plant. He got up carefully, eyeing the bandits around him. He felt two arms grab his own arms roughly from behind. "You'll be working in that warehouse over there, we'll give you materials, feed you, but we'll also be coming regularly to check on your work." Erigor explained as Harry was more or less hauled off to the building. "And work fast." The assassin finished on that note, the threat being wordlessly carried.

* * *

Upon reaching he building, and practically being thrown inside, Harry noticed just how muggy and stiff the air was, and how a good portion of the space had no floor, and instead relied on the dirt ground. The walls had several holes in them, but the space was nearly completely empty. A few crates of what seemed to be scrap pieces of wood and metal were present, but that was it.

"What if I need to use the bathroom, and what about a table to work on?" Harry asked the two men, who looked at each other curiously seemingly only now realizing that their captive would have such needs. They glanced behind them at an old outhouse, just as a larger man stepped outside of it, making a 'phew' sound as he left. Harry grimaced as the two men pointed their thumbs over to it. One of them walked over to where a spare low sitting table was, and casually picked it up, and began walking back. "And what exactly was this building used for before? Or was it always this empty?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions." The bandit that had remained commented, eyeing Harry suspiciously. "It used to contain a bunch of bricks and stuff they used to make that fort, but at some point this place was run over and everything in it was looted. Everything we have is in the fort, and we used all the leftover bricks to repair what we could." He said rather casually, and at that point the other bandit had returned, walked inside the warehouse, and set the table down inside.

"I guess that'll do then… But it'll be slow with just me working." Harry said as he crossed his arms, noting just how uncomfortable his clothes were becoming from having worn them for so long.

"Oh don't worry, you'll get some help." The one that had carried the table commented with a sly grin, causing Harry to raise his brow suspiciously.

"And try not to think about any rescue party coming either…" The other continued, supposedly trying to intimidate Harry into obedience. "Cause we got something that'll make sure no one comes lookin' for you." he said ominously, making Harry wonder if they were going to destroy the town anyways, despite his and Erigor's agreement. _Wouldn't be surprised… but it makes me feel horrible that buying them just a little time was all I could do. _Harry thought regrettably as he looked to the ground. The bandits snickered before they reached over to the pair of barn doors to the warehouse and pushed them close, leaving Harry in the darkness of the building by himself, with only a few rays of dim sunshine of the dusk to illuminate his surroundings.

"I guess I'll… do something then." He said a bit miserably as he went over to one of the crates and began to look through it, spotting a few rolls of paper, and a few pencils he could use. He picked up a small square piece of wood that seemed to have some rough edges. Nevertheless he began to enchant it, his magic lighting up his hand and part of the block. Once he was done with the simple enchantment, he adjusted it, and the block began to emit a soft glow. Already though he could tell he only had a few more of those in him. _It probably doesn't help that I'm not being specific about the amount of magic that the enchantment absorbs, but what am I supposed to measure it in? Watts? I don't know how much a Watt is, so how would an enchantment know? Magic? _He considered that possibility, but then shook his head. _Maybe, but I shouldn't rely on magic to give me all the answers. I need to develop a measuring system, or if possible use a system that already exists, like Joules. _"Yea, that might be possible. Maybe…" At that, he set the block on the table, and began to use the paper to draw out a possible design for the weapon, basing it off of a modern SAM system.

"I need to at least be able to produce something that looks like what I'm designing. Then I can set any plans for escape elsewhere." Harry said silently to himself as he continued to draw out dimensions, briefly looking around but soon realizing that all of these measurements were more or less useless considering he had no tape measure, nor any form of measuring tool. It would all be guesswork and done by eye. "Damn it." Harry said openly, realizing he was going to have to be careful with his work so as to not make it lopsided or top-heavy. "Oh well I guess. I'll ask for something that can measure distance when they visit me next." He said to himself, before returning to his table.

Harry sighed as he sat down and began to write down enchantments to put on the various parts of the weapon. _Planning ahead would be best so I don't waste any magic energy. And maybe make these enchantments easier to make and more efficient for me… _Harry thought as he wrote down potential enchantments, occasionally having to erase parts of it and write something that could be better or more efficient. Then the barn doors opened again, and Harry now realized as he looked away from his light, that sunlight no longer peeked through the walls and roof, and instead only a soft moonlight did.

"We got you some helpers." a voice said, Harry recognizing it as the bandit that carried the table for him. four new figures entered the room, all of them different sizes. Harry grabbed the radiating block next to him, and adjusted the enchantment so it was a little brighter. He approached the new figures and gasped at what he saw. The bandit he recognized was behind the three unfamiliar figures, who seemed much too young to be in a place like this.

The one in the center was a young girl, most likely 14 or 15 years of age, and holding each of her hands on either side were two even younger children. The one on her right was a boy, probably around 9 or 10, while on her left was the youngest, another girl, appearing to be only 5 or 6. Harry stared at them, complete shock on his face, as he saw their clothing was ragged and they looked to be miserable. They all had brown hair, done up in simple ways, but enough to easily distinguish their genders and reveal their faces.

"These three are going to be helping you for the foreseeable future." The bandit said neutrally as he gave the oldest girl a shove, forcing all three of them to step further into the warehouse.

"What the hell?!" Harry asked to no one in particular, causing the children to flinch a bit and the bandit to look at him curiously.

"What?" The bandit asked, seemingly confused about Harry's outburst. Harry though suddenly looked at him with a glare that made even him flinch a bit. Harry continued to glare at him, a sudden great amount of hate in his gaze.

"Why exactly do you have three kids in rags here?" Harry asked with no shortage of venom in his voice. The bandit took a step back, and the children looked confused as they glanced between the two men. "What in the hell are they doing here?" He reiterated, his hand tightening around the block of wood he was holding, seriously considering throwing it at him.

The bandit forcefully grabbed the collar of Harry's shirt, bringing him closer, and forcing the kids to move out of the way. Harry's attempt at intimidation had not worked at all, but the novice wizard held his gaze nonetheless.

"Listen here, I don't know who you think you are suddenly getting an attitude with me, but I sure as hell don't appreciate it." The bandit said with a snarl, Harry's glare edging off slightly, but not going away. "We'll bring out some beds for you and the kids, but remember this:" He leaned in even closer, Harry being able to smell his non-hygienic breath. "We own you now. And you better do as you're told, or else." His threat was followed by Harry being shoved roughly away, landing on his ass in front of the bandit, before he left, slamming the door behind him.

"Damn it." Harry cursed himself quietly, knowing there was nothing more he could do about his situation. _I can't even stand up for myself, how can I do it for these kids? _He thought to himself miserably. He looked to his right for the persons in question and saw that the boy was now holding the block he had enchanted earlier, something Harry had not realized he had dropped. "Uh, hi." Harry said simply, a little sheepish about them seeing and hearing all of that.

The children remained silent, unsure of how exactly to respond. The oldest snatched the block from the boy's hand, who had been looking at it with slight awe, before she held it out to him, expecting him to take it. Harry stood up, his height easily being a head or so above the oldest. He slowly reached out and took the block from her, himself unsure how best to approach them. _Sometimes it sucks to be the oldest in a situation. _

"Well, my name is Harrison. You can call me Harry." He offered, squatting down to be on their level, and offering the best smile he could put on. "What are your names?" He asked and for a moment none of them said anything as he put the luminous block down in front of them, acting like a lantern to stand around.

"I'm Madison." The oldest said, her voice strained, but willing. "This is my little brother Jake, and my little sister Sally." She introduced the two younger children, both of them seemingly shying away behind their older sibling at being mentioned. Harry smiled sadly as he nodded. He was about to ask another question when the doors opened again. This time three men were there, one from before, and then two more Harry didn't recognize. The two he didn't know were carrying small beds and brought each in, one was very obviously used, while the other looked as if it had been in storage for years.

"We brought you your beds. Enjoy." The bandit said simply, watching Harry as he watched the bandit back. Once they were gone and had closed the doors again, Harry continued.

"How old are you all?" He asked both with curiosity and concern, wondering just how horrible these people are.

"I'm sixteen, Jake is eleven, and Sally is seven." Madison answered quickly, and Harry once again nodded, his mind hadn't completely betrayed him before. _They all look like they've missed a few meals though. That's probably what makes them look younger. _Harry thought sadly, and then he stood up, the kid's eyes watching him as he did so.

"Alright then, why don't you three get some rest then. I guess that bed is what you all have been using?" Harry asked, pointing to the bed that looked heavily used, and Madison merely nodded. "Alright then, in the morning, we'll go over some stuff." Harry said as he walked away, taking the luminous block with him to the table. The kids all followed his movements, as if expecting him to do something else. Harry continued to plan, drawing out parts for the weapon, and external components, as well as a potential stabilizing system to combat rough terrain.

He heard the three of them all climb into the same bed, him grimacing at the fact they had to share one bed that looked to be barely big enough to hold himself. _Damn, well, just going out of here guns blazing or trying to sneak my way out might not work if it's all three of us. And trying to leave and get to civilization too. I might be able to get us to civilization, but how long would that take? I need a quicker alternative to just walking._

"What if… we didn't have to walk?" Harry asked himself, and while the idea had merits, it wasn't like he could just make a plane or helicopter without everyone realizing it. It would have to be person sized, so maybe a jetpack or hoverbike, or… "A flight suit. Like Iron man, or something akin to it" Harry said to himself, sudden inspiration coming to him from the marvel superhero. _It would be tricky, complicated, and dangerous. But it would also be easy to hide, have offensive and defensive capabilities, and would give me an element of surprise. _Harry thought to himself, weighing the pros and cons of the idea. "Looks like I'll have to copy a famous superhero icon, but I think it'll be alright." He said to himself as he grabbed a new piece of paper and began work on what would be their ticket out of there.

* * *

**Author's notes: **

**Hey guys, Black_Hawk931 here!**

**Here's another chapter of our collaboration "A Tale of Strangers in a World of Wizards and Guild". We're really enjoying our working on this story, and hopefully you're enjoying it as well.**

**We've attempted a pace change on this chapter, and we both agree that it seems to have turned out well, and we can't wait to carry on into the next. It appears that our heroes are both caught up in fairly difficult situations, and Harry now has to worry about even more than just getting himself out of his problem.**

**We're going to do our best to keep the upload schedule as consistent as possible, and fortunately (or rather unfortunately) quarantining has made that a somewhat easier goal to achieve.**

**But anyways, make sure to stay safe during the hazardous times, and as always..**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4-Breakout Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**Breakout Part 1**

Arriving back in Clover Town was a relatively simple affair for Edmond and his wizard companions. However by the time they reached it, the moon had fully risen, and all of them were ready to find a place to settle down for the night. Lucy had outright refused to step out of town before she got a shower. Finding an inn was a simple affair, and after convincing Natsu that, yes, they should all have seperate rooms, they all found themselves beginning to settle down.

Lucy stepped out of her rented bathroom and sighed as the steam followed her out of the room. The bedroom was very obviously meant for a single person or couple given the single queen sized bed, a fact that Lucy had no quarrels with given the relatively cheap price. She sighed as she opened up the small pack she kept on her at almost all times. The pajamas stored within were quickly equipped on her person as she considered the quest her and Natsu had pretty blindly accepted. _The fact that it's Erigor makes me concerned, but Natsu beat him the last time, plus we've certainly gotten stronger since then. _She thought to herself. _Although there is Edmond, who can use cosmic-based magic. It sounds powerful, but I've never heard of it before. Maybe Levy knows something about it. I'll have to ask her when I get back to the guild. _

Lucy turned off the light in her room and slipped under the covers, closing her eyes to get some sleep. _Although it's still really strange that he's only had this magic for a week… I don't like to accuse people of things, but I doubt he's being completely honest, or there's something he's omitting. _Lucy's mind continued to wander as she stirred in the bed. _And his friend can make some kind of weapon that can destroy a city… _As she remembered that point of dialogue, her mind seemed to freeze as she considered that.

"Just what kind of magic can HE use!?" Lucy yelled to herself as she shot up from the bed, a panicked expression on her face, but no one to see it. "Oh jeez! What have we gotten ourselves into?" She lamented, holding her head as she felt a headache beginning to form. She looked onto her bedside table, where her keys rested, and plucked a silver key from the ring. "**Open! Gate of Canis Minor! Nikola!**" She said aloud as she summoned a small shaking snowman with a carrot for a nose. She reached down and clutched the small summon in her arms, bringing it up to her head to look at it.

"Oh geez Plue, what am I going to do?" She asked rhetorically, but the Celestial Spirit just continued to shake before it shrugged. "I figured as much." she said while her head hung low. She brought it closer into a hug as she sat back down on the bed. "Whatever it is that we get into, I'm going to be relying on all of you guys to get me through, alright?" The spirit only looked up at her and gave the mage a thumbs up. She smiled sweetly at it in response before both her and the spirit laid down to rest. The spirit later returned home after Lucy had fallen asleep.

* * *

"So what's Ginville like?" Natsu asked curiously as Edmond checked out of his room, signaling that they could continue on their journey. They were all collected in the inn's lounge, a few other customers there, but they were among the most unique in appearance.

"It's a pretty normal town… if you don't count the bandit problems and whatnot." Edmond said as he began to walk towards the exit of the building.

"So no special places to visit or… wizard guild…" Natsu said, listing off different things he thought might be of interest in a town. They exited the building and began to follow the road out of town in the direction of Ginville.

"Or a fish market! Do you have a fish market?" Happy suddenly exclaimed, Resulting in Lucy face-palming, irritated at the cat's obsession with seafood.

"No… Ginville is landlocked as far as I know. There's a lake somewhere, but I never went." Edmond answered honestly, which made Lucy cross her arms and level him a suspicious gaze.

"Well, you're the one from Ginville, shouldn't you know it best?" Lucy asked skeptically, but Edmond merely shrugged.

"Haven't been there very long, so I wouldn't say I know the place like the back of my hand or anything." Edmond said casually, but Lucy hummed suspiciously, Natsu giving her a curious look. Happy and Natsu looked at each other before shrugging, not knowing why Lucy was acting so strange around Edmond, but also not too willing to pry into it. They passed by the last building of the town before they were fully on the road to Ginville. Happy yawned lazily as he landed his whole body on Natsu's head.

"I'm tired, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there." Happy said, and immediately began snoring. Edmond glanced behind him with a raised eyebrow, but deciding it wasn't really anything unusual, he just shrugged.

"We've barely started the journey!" Lucy said in exasperation. She shook her head in disappointment. Natsu sighed contently as they travelled along the road, simply enjoying the sights of the peaceful land around them. The path had started out in the plains, and along the route of several farms, but swiftly switched to more forested areas that stretched for miles. _Ginville is really out of reach. Not only does it not have a train station, but it's not mentioned in most maps of Fiore, at least I snagged a map of the areas around Clover Town. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising, but It seems like it's in the middle of nowhere for no reason. _Lucy thought as they travelled, her feet growing more tired with each step.

"So what's your friend like?" Natsu's sudden question made Edmond glance back at the dragon slayer, as he hummed to think of an answer.

"Well, his name is Harry. I've known him for… what? Ten years now? Maybe longer actually…" Edmond said a bit distantly, and Natsu let out a small 'wow'.

"You guys must be super close then huh?" Natsu surmised, Happy still sleeping soundly atop his head.

"We're practically brothers in that sense, but we couldn't be more different though." Edmond said, seeming to reminisce a bit. Lucy decided to listen carefully, while she couldn't say she entirely trusted Edmond, any information on someone that could just make a weapon as devastating as what he said, then she needed to be careful. "Harry is really smart, as in, smart enough that things he thinks about I sometimes never even consider. Plus, he's nice, even if he might seem a bit cold on the outside." Edmond said, making Natsu nod as he walked along.

"Huh. Sounds like a cool guy." Natsu commented idly, Lucy hummed as she heard that. _Well if he's nice maybe he wouldn't make a weapon? But at the same time if he was forced to do so, then if what Edmond says is true, he would have the smarts to do it… _As Lucy considered that, Natsu spoke up. "Man, whoever those guys are, they are in a rush, and they're headed right for us too." The dragon slayer's sudden statement made the other two wizards pause, and look at him with curious looks.

"What guys?" Edmond asked, "I don't see any-" _Wait. Natsu has super senses… so there probably are people coming this way. Uh oh. _Right as that thought crossed his mind, Vines sprung from the ground beneath him, and within a second, he was encased in a plant-based cocoon. "That figures." Edmond says right before the vines reached his head, covering his head and mouth.

"Edmond!" Lucy exclaimed in worry, and before she could say anything else, a multitude of rough looking men emerged from the brush in front of them, blocking their path. Natsu glared at them, his fist igniting in fire as Edmond struggled to get free.

"Alright! Time to get fired up!" Natsu said in excitement as Happy finally woke up. The pink-haired mage jumped and struck at the vines around Edmond's feet, the plants not only catching alight, but also being thrown off of a good portion of Edmond's legs. Muffled panicked screams could be heard from the vines as Edmond felt the intense heat on his legs. Happy jumped off of Natsu's head and flew up above them, observing the scene.

"Natsu! Be careful! You'll hurt him!" Lucy exclaimed, quickly bringing out a golden key as Natsu grabbed the rest of the vines and tore them off of Edmond's form, revealing his stunned expression. Edmond recovered and got into his casting stance. He glared at his enemies along with Lucy while Natsu smiled excitedly. "**Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!**" Lucy exclaimed, pointing her golden key down wards, activating a magic circle, allowing a skinny man to appear. He wore a sky blue shirt with stripes, along with black pants with a chain sticking out of the right pocket, and a pair of plain looking green-tinted glasses. He also sported two pairs of scissors, six crab-like legs from his back, and strange claw-like protrusions from his red corn-row hair.

"Cancer!" He exclaimed while striking a strange pose with his scissors. Edmond glanced back at the celestial spirit with a slightly awed expression, before his gaze re-focused on the bandits in front of him. A particular bandit came forward, a smug grin on his face, with oddly green clothes amongst the rabble that mostly hadd browns or grays. _I think that's the same guy that got Harry, so he's the one that can control vines. _Edmond thought to himself, observing his opponents.

"Erigor figured you'd get some help of some kind. We had some of our sneakier guys follow you, making sure to slow you down!" He said smugly, making Edmond glare at him intently. _Damn… now that I think about it, If I count the day Ginville was attacked for a second time, They've had Harry for nearly two days now. I've been working fast, but how much work could Harry get done by now? _Edmond asked himself as the bandits got ready to strike. "And this is where your little rescue mission stops!" The bandit said angrily, many of the bandits charging at them all at once.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar**!" Natsu exclaimed, a large pillar of fire emerging from his mouth towards the charging bandits. The bandits all stopped, and several were thrown back, the heat of the flames scoring their skin. The plant magic user, however, created a wall of thick vines in front of himself, causing the flames to burn around him and saving a few other bandits from the dragon slayer's magic. Natsu beamed "Hey, you're pretty tough!" He exclaimed excitedly. The bandits stared angrily at the wizard.

"I didn't expect the Salamander to show up." The lead bandit said with a look of surprise. Then it changed to a wry smirk "Oh, the boss is going to be really happy to hear about how we beat you into a pulp after we finish with you!"

Natsu smirked yet again "Well I'd like to see you try!" As he said this, the dragon slayer got into his fighting stance, indicating he was ready for a brawl.

Edmond followed suit, summoning forth a whip in his hand. Both the groups stood for a moment, waiting to see who would take the first blow. Natsu, of course, being the most impatient one charged at the bandits, his hands alight with flames. As he charged, the plant-wizard began pulling vines from the ground in an attempt to halt the dragon slayer's charge, but Natsu skillfully dodged his attacks, remembering watching Edmond get swallowed up by said vines only moments ago.

As Natsu clashed with the plant wizard, Edmond turned his attention to the other bandits and gave his whip a hard swing. They stayed back in an attempt to keep out of reach, but Edmond merely willed the whip to extend further and struck five different bandits all at once. They cried in pain as they were sent back several feet into the bandits behind them. They got up shortly after though, hurt, but not fully stopped. Then a blue and red blur sped by him, and in the next moment, the ten bandits in front of him had their hair cut in the most ridiculous of ways. Cancer was behind the group, holding his scissors as he looked behind him as the bandits seemed to panic over their hair being ruined.

"Alright Cancer!" Lucy cried happily, seeing her spirit take the group down. Then from next to her, the bush rustled a bit, catching her attention. From the same bush a bandit jumped out, a sword held high as he aimed to strike her down. _Well isn't this cliche' _Edmond thought as he swiftly moved his whip around, the tendril wrapping around the man's midsection, keeping him in the air.

"H-Hey!" The bandit said, attempting to break free from the whip's hold. He was promptly flung into the same group Cancer had attacked, throwing all of them into a large pile on the ground. It was about that time Natsu threw several bandits into the same pile, throwing all of them around the road, many of them having parts of their clothes on fire. However one particular wizard was missing from those on the ground.

Natsu dodged another large cluster of vines that came for him, the vines instead digging into the ground where he was. The vines came back up around him as if to trap him in a cage, forcing the dragonslayer to jump out of the trap.

"Man, you're annoying." Natsu said as he sent a torrent of flames from his mouth to attack the vine wizard, who promptly rose another wall to negate the attack. The bandit just smiled sinisterly at the dragonslayer. "Happy lets take care of this guy!" Natsu yelled with a smile, and the small blue cat flew in from behind Natsu and grabbed the back of the pink-haired man's clothes.

"Aye sir! Let's show him what we're made of!" Happy exclaimed determinedly, before the two of them flew forward with speed at the vine mage. In response, the opposing wizard shot forth two clusters of vines to attack each of Natsu's sides. He had both fists alight, ready to combat the plants before a yell caught his attention.

"**Cosmic make! Sword!**" Edmond exclaimed, summoning a comic sword with his magic and slicing down on the vine column on Natsu's right, the whole plant being taken down. Another cry caught the dragon slayer's ears as Cancer rushed forward and sliced the other vine column, the plant falling to the ground in perfectly cut chunks.

"Ebi!" Cancer said, his raspy voice a welcome one as Happy charged with Natsu towards the wizard, both of them yelling with a battlecry. Despite all this however, the vine mage kept a confident smile on his face. A large figure stood in front of him right as Natsu attacked, his fist colliding with the newcomer.

"What? Did you think I was the only one left?" The vine wizard mocked as Happy flew Natsu back and away from the duo. The new bandit had on dark clothes, and had a gruff looking face as he glared at the opposing group of wizards. Edmond let out a small gasp as he saw him, recognizing the man from the first attack on Ginville.

"I remember this guy! Be careful! He's all different kinds of tough!" Edmond warned, gripping his sword tighter. Lucy nodded as Cancer readied himself as well.

"Tough huh? We'll show him just how tough we are too!" Natsu declared confidently, Happy raising with him to better look over their two opponents. The five prepared to go at it once again, their battle only just beginning.

* * *

**(The day before, Erigor's hideout) **

Harry awoke groggily to the feeling of his body being pushed and pulled lightly. Hands were on his left shoulder, being responsible for the awakening movements. He rose his head slowly to see Madison gently shaking him, but upon the sight of his open eyes, she immediately stopped and stepped back, a slightly fearful expression on her face. _She's scared. They all probably are. Who am I kidding, I'm scared too. _Harry thought pitifully, sitting up, realizing that he had slept sitting by the work table, his plans drawn out thoroughly.

"Damn. Must've passed out while I was working." Harry said to himself silently, looking at his plans. He glanced back over to Madison, seeing her two younger siblings behind her legs, watching him carefully. His back ached as he stretched it out, groaning as his stiff spine was worked from it's uncomfortable position.

"Alright I guess we should get some things straight." Harry began, shifting to his three juniors, looking at them seriously. "So, Erigor has asked me to make a weapon for him, and he's assigned you guys to help me. Did anyone bother to tell you all that?" Madison nodded slowly. "Good. So you all should know…" Harry began, splaying his finger out, activating a magic circle. "...I'm a wizard, and magic will be a pretty big factor in making this thing." The two younger ones now eyed him with awe, but the oldest was now even more on edge. Harry looked around him, noticing the light of the early morning sun peeking through the cracks and edges of the building. "Not that we're actually going to finish it that is."

Their eyes collectively widened at that statement. Harry merely smirked, and while unsure how they might take it, he needed them to know his intentions if they were going to help him.

"We're gonna make a way out of here." Harry said, bringing up a second set of blueprints that had been hidden under the table. He handed them to the oldest and her eyes widened at what she saw. She handed it to the younger children with a warning to be careful with them. They grabbed the papers eagerly and stared in wonder at the design.

"Is that a good idea?" Madison asked cautiously, worry in her voice. She glanced down at her siblings, both of them looked back at her after her question. _The oldest being the most sceptical, I expected that, but good to know that she seems to take responsibility for these two pretty seriously. _Harry mused, a nostalgic smile on his face for a brief moment. _Reminds me of myself when I was younger. _

"Well, it's either that, wait here for something bad to happen… or make the weapon and doom thousands." Harry said bluntly, making the girl flinch a bit. She was about to respond, but Jake beat her to it, the middle sibling speaking out.

"I think we should at least try." Jake said, a determination in his eyes. Sally merely nodded along, already on the idea. Madison looked to Harry who gave a small nod, an assurance that he believed he could get them out of here. Madison reluctantly sighed and nodded, agreeing to help in the plan. Harry smiled, glad that everyone was along for the plan. _At least they're trusting, but how on earth did they get here anyway? _Harry thought both with curiosity and some despair, wondering what kind of dark realities this world could have.

"I have to ask though…" Harry said, both curiosity and caution in the expression on his face. "...How did these guys wind up capturing you?" The siblings looked down sadly at that question, Harry immediately regretting asking it, but still wishing to know the answer.

"It was… a few months ago." Madison began, looking away, but willing to answer. "Erigor and what remained of the Eisenwald guild came through our town… we didn't want any trouble with them, but they began making demands, but a lot of the towns people didn't appreciate that. So we started to fight back… and it ended badly…" Harry didn't need any more elaboration on what that meant. "They took us as part of our town's 'punishment' before they left. We haven't seen our town or parents since." Harry nodded remorsefully, while he was still unfamiliar with this world, he understood what that might mean for them.

"Don't worry. Once we get out of here, I'll do my best to make sure you all get home safe." Harry said with finality, and while Madison didn't look entirely convinced that any of this would work, she nodded nonetheless. Her two younger siblings nodded as well, Jake seemingly the most determined out of the three of them. "Alright, so they're going to check up on us each day while we work. Meaning we need to make it look like we're constructing the weapon. Which is why we'll be starting with it first. So do any of you know how to carve?" The resounding silence made his heart drop.

* * *

Hours later and some basic woodworking knowledge passed down from one generation to the next, and Harry had managed to get the kids working on the base of the 'weapon'. He had yet to come up with a name, nor did he really care too considering it would never be usable. Insead he tried his best to find metal scraps that could fit into his armor easily. Thankfully there was a particular large plate of iron that had been used for what looked to be a fridge that could easily suffice as the breastplate, and broken down into leggings. The plate was thick, and hard for him to carry, but that was a good thing. He wouldn't be able to rely on his magic to absorb all the damage from attacks, so he needed to be sure that the plates would be enough to stop, at the very least, a scythe going faster than he could blink. He was still doubtful considering what he remembered Edmond telling him about the series, and the scale of some fights, but he would just have to work with what he had.

Speaking of his magic, Harry had quickly found that his enchantments had the potential to be incredibly powerful if used correctly. The problem is the required power to make the enchantments, and the power to keep them active. He experimented with a few small plates of iron to get a feel for how it felt to enchant them. It was more difficult than enchanting wood, but Harry noticed that depending on the size of the plate, varied how hard it was to enchant, and subsequently, how much energy it took.

Which brought Harry to another conclusion about his magic, that it required a great deal of magical energy to use regularly, something that unfortunately, he did not have. After only experimenting with the plates, Harry felt as if half his magic had been sapped. He only used it on the pieces he could use, but he was merely testing the waters. _Is it because I'm new to magic or is it because of the magic itself? I'll have to start keeping a journal and hopefully ask someone more knowledgeable on magic itself when we get out of here. _About the time that went through Harry's mind, the doors to the warehouse burst open, shocking the kids, and making the only wizard within jump a bit from his position by the table.

"Rise and sh-!" Erigor began cockily before he realized that the four of them appeared to already be up and about. He glanced to the Over-Enchant wizard who was sitting at the only table in the building, with a little more than a dozen small to medium sized iron pieces placed in front of them, with one of them straight up being the back of a fridge, minus the lacrima and magical circuits that it had once upon a time. "Well well, looks like you all have been busy." He says with a surprisingly satisfied look on his face. The kids continued working on the base for the weapon, or more specifically, the wheels that would 'drive' it. Erigor approached Harry, who got up from his position to greet his captor.

"Erigor." Harry said, a slight edge to his voice. This only caused Erigor to smirk more as he snapped his fingers, at which, several of his men came in with barrels that were full of items that Harry was familiar with and yet had also never seen up close. "Are those… lacrimas?" Harry asked, his eyes wide at the sight.

"Sure are, two of the barrels are full of lacrimas that are fully charged while the other three have lacrimas that aren't. I suspect you'll put them to good use." Erirgor said almost challengingly, and Harry merely nodded his head.

"What kind of lacrimas are they?" Harry asked, walking up to the lacrimas that were charged based on their slight glow. They consisted of many different sizes and shapes. Most though were spherical, with some being the size of a man's chest

"Plain. We stole them from a lacrima factory and none of them had been shipped to become a use for something. We figured we'd at least be able to sell them somewhere, but then you showed up and we found an even better use for them. Making that weapon." Harry resisted the urge to clench his fists, deciding to instead sigh in exasperation.

"I get it. These will at least make the enchanting process much quicker." Harry said, an idea coming to his mind on how to link the lacrimas to his own magical core. Erigor nodded, unsure of how exactly they would be useful, but he would leave that to the egghead. Erigor made to leave, somewhat content that his captive would continue to work. Although, he still had a sinking feeling in his gut about the wizard. Then again, he got that feeling anytime he had captured mages. The barn doors closed behind him, and the wind mage took note of one of his men approaching him at a jog. Gartal if Erigior remembered.

"Boss, we tracked that cosmic mage, and he's set off towards Magnolia. Pretty sure he's going to get some of those Fairy Tail flies to stop us." He said with a huff and slightly nervous expression, and Erigor's neutral expression turned into a deep scowl.

"Destroy the train tracks when he gets to Magnolia then, and if he's still headed towards us, I'll send some of our better mages to deal with them." The grunt nodded before he ran off to enact Erigor's orders. Erigor himself looked back at the warehouse and glared. _That's why I had a bad feeling. If those Fairy Tail wizards get here, the egghead won't hesitate to help them. Which just means we need to keep them from getting here. _Erigor smiled viciously as a final thought ran through his mind. _And if that doesn't work, I can always kill the egghead and render their little quest pointless._

* * *

Harry wiped the sweat from his brow as he forced magic to surge through his channels, enchanting an old cloth glove with what he required. Once he was done, he grabbed the length of rope he had enchanted only a few moments earlier and wrapped one end around a charged spherical lacrima, and the other around the wrist of the glove. He stretched out his hand, the enchanted glove uncomfortable due to its age, but hopefully functional as he gave a mental command to his magic to activate the enchantment on it. The result was instintaneous as the glove used the rope to channel magic from the lacrima directly to Harry's magical core. '**Allows for magic to be transferred**' was the basic enchantment he had on the rope, and although relatively simple, the length was what made that particular one hard to create. On the glove he had put '**Absorbs magic from a physical source to supply the wearer'**, and while the magic being supplied was a relatively slow process, it was still much faster than waiting for his magic core to re-supply on it's own.

Harry made a mental note to make a more efficient version of this system and to further research the magical cores of mages when he got back to Ginville. In retrospect, he should have done that to begin with, but his curiosity about the different forms of magic had overshadowed the need to know the fundamentals of magic theory.

"If I ever get out of here, I am definitely going to rip Edmond a new one. He could have at least explained a few more things to me before we started guarding a village." Harry said to himself as he created an enchantment on a gun-like tool that would be invaluable to creating both the armor and the fake weapon. He attached a new rope from the tool to another charged lacrima and pointed it at an untouched piece of metal. The gun was much wider than the ones he had made for the town, and it glowed slightly as it appeared to 'scan' the piece of iron, making a low humming noise. The iron shifted and bent according to Harry's will, the tool allowing him to do so, but requiring a great deal of focus. It formed into the shape he wanted, and the tool managed to punch out the holes in the new dome shaped iron. He nodded in satisfaction at how quickly it was complete.

The iron plate was now an identical replica to the original Mark 1 helmet design from Iron Man. He could decide later on personal touches, as at the moment, it would be quicker to copy from an idea he already had than go straight into making something completely original. He made the tool shape the helmet again, splitting it in half, and managing to form the hinge at the top of the helmet with the same process. Although splitting the piece in half had required him to focus on one piece at a time.

Once he was finished, his stomach decided to announce that it was lunch time, with the children having mostly managed to carve out some rough wheels for the base of the 'weapon'. Madison came over to him, and noticed the newly formed helmet, surprise evident on her face at the speed at which he had created it. Jake and Sally both came rushing up to get a better look, Madison unable to stop them.

"Is that the helmet?" Jake asked excitedly, eyeing the piece of armor with wonder. Harry simply nodded, looking at the lacrimas strapped to him and the tool, frowning at how dim they had both become. "It looks so cool!" He said excitedly, but Harry grabbed the helmet and put it behind one of the scrap boxes, and away from sight.

"Everything else should take less time than the helmet, but we're going to need to make a stand for the armor so I can actually get in it." Harry quickly explained, the two younger siblings frowning a bit at not being able to see the helmet anymore. "We can get started on that once they bring us some lunch." That was when Sally suddenly announced something that was an inevitable reality for all of them.

"I need to go to the bathroom." Sally said, looking down in embarrassment, and Harry merely sighed, looking to the others and quickly realizing that they all probably needed to go. As did himself.

"Alright, let me go talk to the guards."

* * *

Night approached quickly for Harry as he worked diligently on the armor, making a frame for the whole suit first and then shaping plates second. Harry had managed to get most of the suit built by the time the sun had set thanks to his new tool, which he had decided to name,** Molder. **While a bit generic, it was accurate as all the tool did was shape and mold material to whatever form or shape the user wanted as long as they had a clear vision in their head. It couldn't break down material or weld material together so Harry was forced to choose carefully on which plates he used this tool on, as he could shape the pieces to tear them in half like he did with the helmet. So unless he made a completely different tool, he won't be able to make anything bigger than what he already has without flattening plates out and making them thinner.

Although the suit wasn't the only thing he had been working on. A second Molder he had made for Madison to use to assist in making the weapon, allowing them to work quicker and make the project look more complete. There were also three flat pieces of wood he made to re-charge lacrimas, all thanks to the glove recharge system he had made, allowing for increased progress in the enchanting department.

_I really hope this plan works… I mean, I'm only going to have to fight a whole band of rogue wizards on my own using a suit that I basically hobbled together… _Harry thought dejectedly before he shook his head. _No, it's got to work. For my sake, and for those kids. If I work into the night, then I should be able to apply all the enchantments, and probably use all of the lacrimas doing so. _Harry hummed as he looked to the fake weapon, which now had wooden cylinders on its backside resembling a missile launch system. Then he glanced at the large crate he had emptied out to be the hiding place for the suit, the suit's frame and the armor plates he had just finished staring back at him.

"I need to start on the frame before the plates." Harry said, eyeing the metal frame for his suit as it stood sturdily in the crate. "It won't do any good if I can't move in the damn thing." He said as he stood up and began to enchant the framing with enchantments that would help with movement, speed, and strength. He grimaced, the magic being sapped from him more intense than his previous enchantment efforts.

Madison eyed Harry with a slightly worried expression, watching him work diligently. They had only recently finished eating dinner, and yet he was already back to working. Her siblings were taking a break from all the work, drawing pictures in the dirt section of the warehouse with sticks. She herself was taking a breather, even if the 'Molder' made their jobs a lot easier, it burned through lacrimas rather quickly.

Madison walked away and back to where her siblings were and glanced over their shoulders to see what they were drawing. Jake was drawing rather quickly, apparently trying to get his creation just right, while Sally was lazily drawing what looked to be flowers with bees buzzing around them. Madison smiled mournfully, as it had been months since they had seen anything so picturesque. Then she glanced over to Jake's and finally realized what he was drawing. To her surprise he was drawing a picture of the suit of armor Harry had made grabbing a cartoonishly drawn Erigor by the throat. At least, that's what she thought it was.

"Look big sister! You think we'll be able to see Mr. Harry beat up Erigor?" Jake asked excitedly with a smile, making Madison look back to where Harry was working. _He hasn't been overly social with us this whole time, mostly leaving us to work, but still, he's been kinder than anyone else in this camp. If he does fight Erigor, I hope we're nowhere near it. _Madison thought to herself before turning around to look at her younger brother with a reprimanding glare.

"If he does get into a fight, none of us are going to watch it. You remember the plan don't you?" Madison said in an authoritative tone, making Jake nod with a pout. Sally also nodded, even though the question wasn't directed at her. Madison nodded in satisfaction at her siblings before they returned to their doodling. She looked back towards Harry, his form illuminated by the light from his magic, and the small glowing cube on his desk. _I just hope we get out of here alive… We'll be putting our trust in you. _

Harry swayed tiredly as he put the final piece of armor on his creation, but none of which were enchanted. Lacrimas were still charging behind him, and many more empty ones were waiting to be charged, but he had done it, and now it was only a matter of time before he would enchant the plates with protective scripts. There were places where he couldn't put armor pieces due to the necessity of movement, but it would protect him from most forms of frontal assaults. He put the side of the crate back up to conceal the suit, and looked around. He realized that he was the only one still awake, with only the light from the two glowing blocks to illuminate his surroundings.

_It's got to be way past midnight now, but it was worth it. In the morning we just need to get all these lacrima charged up, enchant the suit and then we'll be ready to move forward with our plans. _Harry surmised as he walked to the vacant bed, laying down on it with a sigh. _I really hope this works, because otherwise, well, I don't have a backup plan. _Harry's thoughts continued into the night as he thought about what might happen during the escape, most of them centering around Erigor. _If we could just find a time where he wasn't around, then I'm sure we could bust out of this joint fairly easily. _Harry breathed out heavily as he attempted to get some sleep, his mind slowly falling into slumber from the work he had done that day.

* * *

Harry woke up to the sound of voices as he laid in bed, not yet willing to open his eyes. Although he could recognize Madison's soft voice, the sound of another adult male's voice was unfamiliar. Thankfully he had woken up enough to hear and listen in on the conversation.

"So he was working all night huh?" A gruff voice asked as the sound of a foot being tapped impatiently came with it.

"Yes sir. He was up all night making these plates for the weapon." Madison's voice came out gentle and timid, most likely due to her fear of the dark mages, and what they might do to her and her siblings. Harry shot up from his bed, a slightly panicked expression on his face as he quickly glanced to madison and the bandit, with one thought running through his mind. _Did she rat me out!? _However that panic was soon followed by confusion at seeing the plates he had experimented with laid out, and then seeing Madison and the bandit both look to him, his face bore an expression of relief, even if he tried to reign it in due to present company.

"Is that so?" The bandit questioned, looking at the various metal plates, and then the large weapon, which now looked like a cross between a derby car and a SAM system. "And where exactly are these plates supposed to go?" He asked, looking to both Madison and the newly awakened Harry.

"The power source." Harry immediately replied, getting out of the bed and walking up to him, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "Can't very well use a weapon without a power source, and these plates will ensure that it's protected from someone targeting it specifically." Harry's answer was quick, and made the bandit hum before he grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I wanna beat this guy's brains out so much'. Harry decided to ignore the comment.

"Whatever, just make sure you don't slack off. Erigor and a few of our guys had to go take care of something, but they'll be back shortly." He said angrily, before he stomped off and closed the barn doors behind him, leaving them alone. _Ergor's going to be gone? _Harry thought with both excitement and trepidation. _If I can get those plates done in time..._

"Madison." Harry said, still staring at the doors, realizing that this might be his only chance at escape with Erigor gone. "Start charging lacrimas, I'll make a few more charging pads, but if we're going to get out of here, now is the time." Madison realized his intentions, and while hesitant, did as she was told as Harry grabbed a loose piece of wood to make it into something that could charge a lacrima. _I need to work really fast… at least I have the kids to help me, even if they can't use magic. It's nearly time to start this breakout._

* * *

"**Fire Dragon's Roar!**" Natsu's yell echoed across the area as a pillar of fire was sent streaming for the two opposing dark wizards. A wall of vines came up to stop the flames, shielding both the plant wizard and the larger one. However once the flames had died down, the vines were charred heavily, but managed to stay strong. The larger wizard suddenly jumped up from behind the wall of vines and brought his clasped hands down where Edmond was, the cosmic wizard being forced to jump back. The resulting impact formed a small crater where his hands were, making Edmond stare at him in shock.

"What's wrong? Scared?" The large man teased, finally speaking up with a cocky grin. Edmond, despite worrying about the crater the man had caused, managed to grin himself.

"Nope, just surprised you can actually do some damage." Edmond said with no small amount of snark, gripping his cosmic sword just a little tighter. The larger mage seemed to take offense to this as he charged, Edmond side-stepping and swinging with his sword, only for magical sparks to fly as it bounced off of the man's raised forearm. _What? _Edmond thought, confusion maring his face. _I remember he was tough, but not this tough. _Edmond thought as he hesitated, a moment that was taken advantage of by the opposing man. A fist rocketed forward towards Edmond, the cosmic mage attempting to block the strike with his sword, only for the cosmic manifestation to shatter, warp, and fade. The fist found its mark as the man hit his chest, Edmond being sent back several feet, his back impacting with a tree roughly, the bark flying off.

"Damn it." Edmond said, gripping his chest with one hand, glaring at the opposing mage harshly. _If this guy is anything like typical Fairy Tail dark mages and antagonists, then this'll probably work. _"What kind of magic is that!?" He questioned aloud, the large mage merely chuckling before crossing his arms, a superior glare leveled at Edmond.

"Body reinforcement magic." The burly mage said with a grunt "Just like how mages are more durable due to the magic flowin' through them, My magic simply amplifies that to an extra degree… or four." He said confidently, holding his head high with an air of superiority, expecting his opponent to be impressed by his magic.

"Is that so?" Edmond stated, a sly grin forming on his lips "Well if that's the case then this shouldn't take too long at all!"

"Eh? What are you talking about?!" Edmond's opponent asked "Are you lookin' to get beaten to a pulp?"

"Trust me meathead, I'm not the one who's going to get beaten!" Edmond then released his sword construct, preparing for his next attack. The Body Reinforcement wizard growled and charged at Edmond, but Edmond dodged without a moment to spare, the burly wizard punching the tree causing bark to shoot out from where he struck it.

"Edmond, I really don't think you should make him mad, he looks really tough." Lucy warned. Edmond looked back at her, then returned his gaze to his opponent. He thought about what his next action would be. He looked at the tree where the wizard punched a sizable crack in the wood. _I got it. _He thought to himself, an idea popping into his head.

As the reinforcement mage charged him, Harry dodged his attacks repeatedly, doing his best to position the mage exactly where he wanted him. "I gotta admit, you're fast for being such a pathetic wizard!"

Edmond smirked "I hate to admit it, but I'm not that fast. You're just too slow!" The bandit's eyes lit up with fire, and he yelled as he began furiously throwing punches at the young wizard.

Edmond managed to get the bandit into position, and as the reinforcement mage attacked him, Edmond released a spell. **Cosmic Make: Anvil!** He called out as a cosmic anvil made of soft-blue glowing energy hurled itself towards the large man, who easily dodged the projectile.

The bandit then stepped forwards and grabbed Edmond's coller "You missed." he said, readying a fist in his hand.

"Did I?" Edmond said, looking behind the bandit. The large man looked back, and released Edmond as a tree the anvil had struck began to fall towards him. Edmond managed to duck out of the way, but the bandit wasn't fast enough and was crushed by the tree. Edmond ran over to Lucy quickly "That's not going to keep him down long. I need you to summon Taurus to distract him when he gets back up."

"Ok, but what are you planning?" Lucy asked, confusion in her voice. Edmond merely smiled as he looked back at her, not saying much else. Lucy seemed to pause though as she remembered what exactly he said. "And how did you know I ha-" But was interrupted by their opponent.

As the bandit retrieved his footing, Edmond summoned his whip again, lashing the bandit with multiple quick attacks. The bandit put his arms up in a guard, causing the whips to have even less effect. Lucy retrieved Taurus' key from her bag "**Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!**" As she summoned the spirit, a giant humanoid bull wielding a great-axe appeared.

"MOOOOOO!" Taurus yelled out "What seems to be the trouble, Miss Lucy?" Tuarus asked, readying for a fight.

"Taurus, I need you to distract him!" Lucy commanded the spirit, pointing towards the large bandit.

"No trouble miss Lucy, and maybe after this you could give me a smoooch!" Taurus mooed as he charged the bandit, who turned towards him acknowledging the new threat.

As Taurus swung his axe, the bandit began to backpedal, now attempting to evade the oncoming attacks from the spirit. Edmond returned to Lucy's side, the two watching the fight from a safe distance.

"Alright Lucy, now when I give the signal I need you to send Taurus back, but I'm going to need a little time." Edmond explained to the wizard.

"Alright, but I still don't know what you're planning." Lucy said, deciding to trust Edmond for now.

Upon Lucy saying this, Edmond stepped into his casting stance, charging his magic. He watched Taurus and the bandit duke it out for a short while. Edmond noticed that the bandit wasn't that much smaller than Taurus, so it seemed that he might have the speed advantage.

On one of Taurus' attacks, however, the bandit managed to grab Taurus' axe, causing the two to engage in a contest of strength. Lucy's eyes widened "Holy crap, he's actually holding Taurus back!"

"Mooo, well, you're pretty tough for a human." Taurus said to the bandit, who didn't answer. It was clear he was struggling at this point to even keep this up.

Edmond concentrated on his magic, and finally arrived to a point where he felt he was ready. He looked over to Lucy and gave her a nod which she returned "Alright Taurus, that's enough!"

"Aw, but It was just getting gooood." Taurus said as he disappeared into a cloud of smoke, the bandit staggering from suddenly losing the weight he was pressing against.

Edmond stepped forward, readying his magic construct "**Cosmic Make!**" He yelled out as a giant handle began to form from his hands as he began to swing his newly forming weapon. As the handle reached the top of his swing he called out his summon "**War Hammer!**" He cried as a familiar hammerhead formed at the end of the handle, albeit this one significantly larger than the last.

The bandit was barely able to brace from losing his balance as the giant hammer came crashing down onto him, creating a large crater where he stood. Edmond released the hammer, it's form continuing to persist. He looked towards the crater, where he could see the bandit's arms and legs protruding from beneath the hammerhead, the bandit unable to move. Edmond sighed, content with the outcome.

Then he noticed something. He watched in horror as the hammer began to pulse like his sword did from days earlier. "Uh, Edmond. What's going on?" Lucy asked as she watched the hammer. Edmond quickly realized what this meant.

"Get down!" He yelled at Lucy, tackling her to keep her from getting hurt by the impending explosion. He stopped to watch as the hammer began violently pulsing, it's size warping rapidly. Before he could say anything else, the hammer exploded in an awesome disruption of cosmic energy, much bigger than that of the sword he created days earlier. Lucy yelped from the tackle, and shut her eyes tight as the explosion happened, not willing to open her eyes to see the result.

Meanwhile, Natsu was fighting the plant wizard, the plant wizard seemed to be able to keep Natsu at bay with his vine shields, albeit barely so. The young dragon slayer was proving to be much harder to deal with than he would have hoped. "I gotta hand it to ya, you're even stronger than I've heard. Although, that's not really saying that much." the bandit jeered.

Natsu simply smirked "Well then you must have pretty rotten sources, because this isn't anything compared to other guys I've fought!"

The bandit grimaced. _I need to get past this guy, but I can't do that if he keeps burning my vine walls away_, he thought. But then they both heard a loud explosion nearby, and he became distracted as he looked around for his partner, only to see Edmond and Lucy standing up from the ground, his partner nowhere in sight.

"You got distracted!" Natsu yelled as he came in to deliver a right hook to the bandit's jaw "**Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!**" he yelled out as he delivered a strong magical punch to the bandit's midsection, hurling him several feet back and knocking him unconscious.

As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Edmond stood and offered a hand to Lucy, who accepted it. "What was that Edmond?" She asked the young man.

"That was a side effect of my inexperience I'm afraid." Edmond explained "If I lose concentration or don't focus hard enough, my weapon will still form, but it'll be unstable and explode."

Lucy stared in bewilderment "So, you mean you knew that could happen?" she asked, to which Edmond nodded. Lucy then proceeded to smack Edmond square across the head "You idiot! You could have gotten us killed!" She yelled, Edmond covering the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, geez. I didn't mean for it to happen!" he apologized. _Damn, that hurts way more than I thought it would have_. Edmond looked over to where Natsu was, a confident grin on the dragonslayer's face. Happy floated next to him, looking at their downed opponents.

"Looks like Edmond took out the big guy too!" Happy said, stating the obvious, Natsu walking over to Edmond and Lucy, offering his congratulations.

"Good work you two! Now we just need to get these guys to a Rune Knight station, and we can probably continue on to helping out your friend. Edmond looked at Natsu dumbly for a moment. _Rune Knights? What the hell are Rune Knights? Did I forget something or is this something completely brand new? Is this… an alternate Fairy Tail universe!? _Edmond momentarily panicked before remembering that with him and Harry merely existing this was already an alternate universe from canon.

"Sounds good!" Lucy agreed, before turning to Edmond, a rather pleased smile on her face. "Once we get to Ginville you can get us to the Rune Knight station right?" Edmond stood motionless, unsure of how to respond to the sudden questioning, realizing that this was probably something that should be common knowledge if Lucy was mentioning it so casually.

"Um…" He paused, nervously looking at the bandits that were unconscious on the ground as Natsu began to tie them up with rope he had in his backpack. "Well, I don't think Ginville has a Rune Knight station, or if it does, I haven't seen one." Edmond admitted, leaving out the fact he didn't even know what a Rune Knight was. Lucy was shocked.

"Really? No Rune Knight station?" She asked, first with shock, and then with cautious concern. Her earlier doubts about the man coming to the surface again, the thought of a town not having a Rune Knight station hard to believe.

"Sometimes it's like that with towns that are really out of reach. Instead they rely on their own guard or militia." Natsu said casually, having finished tying up two tougher bandits with their weaker companions that had fallen earlier in the battle. Edmond swiftly nodded, and affirmed that Ginville had its own form of guards. Lucy seemed unconvinced, and as they set off in the direction of Ginville, the bandits being dragged along by Natsu, while Lucy kept a decent pace from Edmond.

_Aw man! Not even more than a day after meeting Fairy Tail, and already one of them doesn't trust me. _Edmond lamented, trying his best to look calm and unaffected by her behavior. He knew that Lucy was one of the smarter people in canon, and thinking back, he could have been more careful with his words. Natsu didn't seem to care either way, a blessing considering his rather… troubling circumstances. _I guess I'll just have to earn her trust back in some way. Hopefully when we rescue Harry and sees that everything I've been saying is… mostly true, then she won't distance herself. _Edmond resigned himself to walking, but they soon saw Ginville in the distance as they got to the top of a hill, Lucy's eyes widening slightly at the sight.

"Well, we're here."

* * *

Erigor floated above a hilltop overlooking Ginville with a scowl as he saw the fairies enter the town. The men he had brought along couldn't see from where he was, but seemed to get the gist about what was going on. Thankfully though, the two he had sent after them had accomplished their goal. Buying time, and weakening them. _Even still, now that they're at the town, I can't go for an all out attack, force wasn't strong enough the first time with two amateur mages. With the Salamander fly there, they won't stand a chance. I don't feel like testing my luck against him this time either… _Erigor thought as he considered what to do next. _But… If they go after the hideout we could meet them halfway, jump them, surround them, and then not only will I have that weapon… but Salamander's head to put on it. _

"Boss, what's the plan?" One of his men asked below him, a curious expression on his face. Erigor floated down to face his men, winds swirling around his form that kept him afloat. His smile was not lost on them.

"Simple. We ambush them when they go on the offensive. They want to rescue their little friend, and we're going to take advantage of their predictability." Erigor said, beginning to float away from the town. "We set up an ambush and wait for them to come to us." Erigor said, a cocky laugh leaving his lips as his men followed, eager to destroy their opponents.

* * *

Harry panted heavily as he felt magic being sucked from him, his enchantment being applied to the final plate. He grabbed it and headed over to the armor frame, everything but the chest piece now in place. Behind where the chest piece was, laid a spherical lacrima, brimming with magical energy, meant to be the main power source for the suit. It was one of the smaller ones he found in the barrels, being enough to not be a hindrance, but still making the chest piece stick out further than he had originally intended.

"But barring doing very dangerous surgery on myself to implant a lacrima in my chest, this is what's necessary." Harry said to himself humorously, placing the chest piece into the frame, a locking sound coming from it, signaling that it was firmly in place. Unlike the Mark 1 though, there was no hole to proudly display the power source, instead it was completely covered up in metal, looking like a sloped design that could belong to a WWII era tank. Other than that , the suit was nearly identical to the original Mark 1. He looked to the kids, who were now solely focused on charging lacrimas to prepare for their final escape. Only that all of the lacrimas they were charging were turning an angry shade of red.

"Overcharged and volatile lacrimas, enough to make a bunker buster when they explode… not the greatest of ideas, but it will definitely be eye catching." Harry said to himself as the lacrimas piled up at the far end of the warehouse. He looked to the one normally charged lacrima he had left himself to energize his magic reserves before the fight. The kids looked at him, pausing in their work as he said this to himself, a small smile gracing his lips. "Don't worry about me, just thinking out loud." They returned to waiting for the lacrima to charge, Hary sitting down and strapping himself to his 'Recharge-glove'.

_Welp, once I'm a bit more into it, and as many of these lacrimas are charged as can be, we'll blast out of here. With the thrusters on the suit, and handles for the kids to hang on for dear life, we should be able to get out of here without fighting anyone… just need to step outside and get the hell outta dodge while Madison activates the detonator I gave her. _Harry thought to himself, once again going over the strategy, and hoping he would be able to stick to it. Then his mind began to think of all the ways the plan could go horribly wrong, with more than one being his own fault. He shook his head. _One way or another, we're getting out of here, and hopefully none of us will die in the process._

* * *

**Author's notes. **

**Another chapter done, another 9,000 or so words added. I know that this chapter was rather extensive and quite wordy at times, but I wanted to somewhat dive into the intricacies of Harry's magic without going over every single enchantment that he put on his suit. If that IS something you would like to see, say so and I might make a list of enchantments, but for now, I'm keeping it simple so we can move on with the story. **

**The next chapter will be very action oriented and finish up with this 'mini-arc' allowing the following chapters to move on with more 'Fairy Tail' things. Such as the guild, the characters within, etc. etc. **

**Edmond's magic will also be further explored in the future, and as of now, he does not have full control over bigger and more complex things he creates, causing them to… explode. Eventually he will gain more control over his magic, but that will come later in the series. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, and as always…**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5-Breakout Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**Breakout Part 2**

Edmond, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were now making their way out of Ginville now that they had handed over Erigor's goons. Thankfully, for his own sake, Edmond was right in that there was no Rune Knight station in Ginville given how relatively small it was, and it's distance from other much more populous towns. Instead the Militia and Guard were all supplied by the city and as such they did have a Jail. Albeit, a small one.

"There's no way we can hold all of Erigor's cronies in that place." Edmond lamented. Lucy merely nodded along, wondering just how difficult it would be to literally drag all of the bandits back to a proper Rune Knight station.

"We'll get em to the Rune Knights some way. For now we need to focus on beating Erigor and freeing your friend!" Natsu declared confidently, Edmond nodding along with that sentiment. Lucy groaned a bit in concern considering they had yet to encounter Erigor and had trouble just with two of his new goons.

"Were there any other people that Erigor had that were that tough?" Lucy asked curiously, facing Edmond with a worrying glance. He hummed as he thought back to his fights with Erigor's band of misfits, but couldn't think of any other notable mages off the top of his map.

"I can't really think of anyone in particular. At least, not from my memory, other than those two we just fought." Edmond said, a hand to his chin in thought. Lucy looked back ahead of them, slight concern in her voice. They continued onwards, a dirt path directing them further into the forest. It was an old path that led to an abandoned town somewhere in the forest, but it used to be watched over by an old fortress, the most likely location of Erigor's base. So they went on with some idle conversation to take them through the forest, with Edmond asking questions about the guild, and what kinds of members were there. He knew the answers, but asked just to seem curious and more authentic, as well as to see if anything was notably different about this Fairy tail from canon if anything.

Thankfully nothing was out of the ordinary if everything Natsu and Lucy had answered were true. Mirajane and Elfman were still the only Strauss siblings they would mention, team shadow gear did still consist of Levy, Jet, and Droy, and Makarov was still the master of the guild. Edmond breathed a mental sigh of relief, glad to know nothing about the guild seemed to be different from what he remembered.

"So once you get your buddy out of there what are you gonna do?" Natsu asked curiously, his hands behind his head as they walked through the forest, which seemed much thicker than what they had walked through on their way to Ginville. Edmond thought about that, and while he already knew what 'he wanted', he wasn't sure what Harry would want.

"I'm not sure to be honest. I guess we just stay in Ginville for a while at least. I'm sure though if we wanted to move on once we dealt with Erigor the mayor wouldn't mind." Natsu hummed, closing his eyes as he thought. Happy though seemed to get an idea in his head and turned around in the air to face Edmond.

"Hey Eddy! Why don't you join Fairy Tail?" Happy offered suddenly, Edmond looked at him with slightly wider eyes, not really expecting the sudden offer. Natsu slammed his fist into his hand and turned around to face Edmond with a winning smile.

"Yea! You're a pretty good wizard, plus your buddy can join too since he's a wizard as well. You guys would do great in Fairy Tail!" Natsu supported the idea openly, making Edmond look between the blue cat and dragon slayer, a slightly conflicted expression on his face. _As much as I'd love to join, if Harry doesn't want to, then I might not either… I mean, he doesn't know half the things I do about Fairy Tail, I don't want to just leave him out to dry. _Edmond thought, slightly sad at the thought that Harry might not want to join.

"Guys you're overwhelming him. I mean, we only met him yesterday!" Lucy exclaimed slightly, a bit alarmed they would offer to let Edmond join them so easily.

"What's wrong with that? We only knew you for a day before you joined the guild." Natsu said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Lucy, realizing her hypocrisy, shrunk a bit. Edmond laughed a bit and scratched his cheek nervously.

"Well, I don't want to make a definite decision yet. But if it's possible… I would actually love to join Fairy Tail." Edmond said earnestly, earning an encouraging smile from Natsu and Happy. Lucy sighed a bit, somewhat relieved that Edmond wasn't as impulsive as her fire-using companion. They continued onwards in comfortable silence, coming across an old stone bridge crossing a medium sized river. The stone had a generous amount of green growing on it and evidence of erosion damage, but otherwise appeared rather sturdy for it's age.

"How much further we got?" Natsu asked with some annoyance, Happy circling overhead to get a better view around them

"Well, I'm not sure how far we've been, but the guard station said it was at least ten miles." Lucy said with a groan, lamenting the distance. Edmond only nodded along with her discontent.

"Natsu! Guys!" Happy suddenly exclaimed flying down to meet them, a somewhat surprised expression on his face. "There are people coming towards us! A bunch of people!" Natsu grinned happily, while Lucy and Edmond both only sighed a bit.

"We should stay here then, we can use this bridge as a choke point." Lucy suggested, receiving a nod from both men.

"Sounds good to me! Either way, they won't know what hit them!" Natsu said confidently, his right fist lighting in flame. Edmond stretched a bit, preparing for the upcoming fight, while Lucy prepared to summon one of her spirits.

"Oh? We won't, will we? Little flies…" A familiar voice cut through the air as the two Fairy Tail wizards, flying cat, and magic novice all looked up above them to see Erigor grinning at them evilly. To his sides, other mages began to float up as well, all thanks to Erigor's wind magic.

"So much for bottle-necking them." Lucy said a bit sadly, Edmond's face becoming graver as the bandits surrounded them in the air, all of whom had spells prepared to fire on them. Natsu seemed none too pulsed, as he winked at Happy, who saluted with an 'aye' and grabbed onto Natsu's shirt. Soon the dragon slayer was airborne thanks to Happy, his fists ignited, an excited grin on his face.

"Oh well, that just means this'll be a lot more fun." Natsu's confident statement was met with offended gazes from the mages around him, and exasperated ones from the mages below him.

* * *

Harry watched as the final overcharged Lacrima was placed in the pile they had made, making Harry cringe a bit at how carelessly they were piled up. Hopefully it wouldn't matter soon. He unstrapped himself from the glove, the lacrima he was using still slightly charged, but ignoring it. He opened up the crate that held the suit, looking at his creation with a sense of dread pride. _Now that I'm was looking at it, it is a little intimidating due to it's dark color and pretty faceless visage. _Harry thought to himself, looking over his creation.

"Mr. Harry? All of the lacrimas are ready." Madison said, looking at the suit with a mix of hope and trepidation. Harry nodded silently, walking up to the suit and pressing his hand against the chest piece, sighing as he made to take it off.

"Alright, help me suit up and we'll get out of here." Madison nodded as she helped disassemble the front section of the arms and legs, soon allowing Harry to step inside the frame securing himself to the wooden frame, fitting him snugly. Jake came over to help secure the plates to the frame by the fittings he had made beforehand, interlocking with the joints to make the whole thing move relatively as one. Although it was clear to Harry that it was probably even clunkier than what was in the movie. Harry couldn't help the fact he wasn't an educated engineer or super genius.

"That's everything." Harry affirmed, the kids looking at his suit, wondering if there was anything else to fix to the suit. "Now to see if this thing will let me move." Harry said with a small smirk. He reached up and clamped the front half of the helmet over him, everything in his vision, but two small windows of light were now covered in iron. He closed his eyes and focused on the gloves he had on, and the framing attached to him, pushing his magic out to 'feel' all of the enchantments he had made, every now and again he would lose focus and lose the feeling of one of the plates, or the central lacrima within. So instead he pushed out harshly with his magic, attempting to feel the armor all at once, and as the lacrima suited in the chest piece began to push magic into the suit, everything began to feel less like an attachment, and more like a part of his body.

"Good. It's working properly." Harry said with relief, moving his arms a bit to test how well he could move them. Madison, Jake, and now Sally all were looking at him with wide eyes, watching as the underside of the plates emitted a faint blue and gold glow, just visible in the low light of the warehouse. He stepped forward, his now metal footprint landing softly on the dirt floor. He strode forward and away, testing his movement and maneuverability. He wasn't impressed, but it would do. He thought about activating the thruster enchantments, but decided against it, if they activated at full blast then their cover would be blown and any smooth get away they might have been able to accomplish would have been thrown out the window.

"So does this mean we're ready?" Madison asked tentatively, and Harry was hesitant to answer, but nodded nonetheless.

"The detonator?" Harry asked simply, and Madison held up a small wooden plank with an indention, which was clearly red, covered in enchanted script. "Alright, once we're all ready, I'll arm it, and you can activate it once we're far enough away." Madison nodded hesitantly, holding the detonator tightly. Harry took to walking around in the suit, trying to get used to the decreased movement and mobility. There were other things he wanted to test, such as the thrusters, and the one and only combat ability that the suit had, but he couldn't test any of them, and Harry hoped that he wouldn't have to use the combat-focused addition.

Harry looked over to see the kids all putting on some enchanted gloves that he had made to help them grip onto the handles better. The last thing he wanted was them flying off due to shock, loss of strength, or whatever else. Once they were done, they all looked at Harry expectantly. He merely nodded before stomping over to the work table, and picking up the last semi-important piece of equipment. With it in hand he walked to Madison and handed it to her, her eyes wide as she looked at the wooden gun.

"I don't know what might happen between now and getting to Ginville, you three need some form of protection, just in case." Harry explained bluntly, Madison was hesitant, but took the weapon, a grim expression on her face. "I hope you don't have to use it, but it's better to have it and not need it-"

"Than need it and not have it." The voice that finished Harry's sentence was Sally's, looking up at the armored man with a small smile. "Dad used to say that a lot." She said, trying to remember her parents and the advice they gave them. Harry stood motionless, before nodding, Madison no longer having an expression of fear, but instead one of determination.

"Alright, all of you grab on." The kids complied as they held onto the handles on the outside of the suit, their glove's enchantments lighting up from the magic flowing through the suit, keeping them firmly gripped. Madison kept one hand off with the detonator, which was now glowing red, a signal it was armed. Sally and Jake were holding onto grips on the center of the suit with one hand, while their other hands were gripped onto handles on Harry's shoulders. Madison had plenty of room to put both of her hands on the center handle, but kept one hand free for the detonator. "Everyone ready?" Harry asked, anticipation in his voice. Madison nodded to her siblings, who nodded back, bracing themselves for the inevitable storm of action to come.

"We're ready." Madison said, determination in her voice. Harry focused, feeling the enchantments around him as they were supplied with power from the lacrima. There were several enchantments that weren't active due to how he worded them requiring him to actively turn them on and off. Four such enchantments were what would simulate boosters and help him fly out of there. Upon activating them, he found that he failed to make the boost gradual, and so all four enchantments activated at full power, orange light and fire erupting from his hands and feet. In the next moment, they were shooting upwards, the ceiling too rickety and old to withstand the force of Harry's armor going through it. Within a mere ten seconds, they were airborne and quickly ascending. The bandits on the outside reacted relatively quickly, being able to turn to see the cause of the commotion, but unable to do anything about it. Harry mentally activated some smaller air-based thruster to help adjust him mid air to point in the (supposed) direction of Ginville.

Madison couldn't believe how fast they were going. One moment they were telling Harry they were ready, and the next, they were airborne, and free of the complex. The gloves were working wonders as well, as even with only one hand attached, she felt like her hand was nigh unmovable. Her Siblings were holding on for dear life, tucking their heads in and shutting their eyes tight. She couldn't blame them considering the winds whipping against their heads, but it was a shame they missed the wonderful view. She felt them begin to level out as she noticed some smaller glowing circles around the thigh area of the armor that seemed to be leveling them out. Which reminded her of her own assignment. She reached with her thumb despite the intense winds around her and found the small button on the detonator. She pressed it, the glow fading into nothing as the device seemed to lose it's magic power. She didn't drop it though, and waited.

"Madison!" Harry yelled, the wind whipping around them making it hard to understand him.

"I pressed it! Nothings happene-" Anything that she was about to say was stopped as the base behind them exploded, she saw it before she heard it. The warehouse erupted into a massive black and red fireball, easily twice as large as the warehouse was. The old fortress was nearly obliterated from the explosion and hidden by the smoke. Flaming debris were flying from the epicenter of the explosion, but she could only see so much though as when she finally heard the deafening roar, she felt the shockwave, the wind being knocked out her lungs. If it wasn't for the glove forcing her to hold on, she would have fallen off, the detonator falling from her grip evidence enough of that. Their ride was shaking now, Harry having clearly been affected by the explosion. It didn't last long though as he soon leveled back out, continuing their flight.

"Well, if that didn't get someone's attention, nothing will." Harry said quietly to himself, feeling Madison grip on with her second hand. He earnestly hoped that they weren't hit that bad by the shockwave. He was both surprised and scared about the power behind just five barrels of lacrimas. Although it was more like seven or so considering each lacrima was overcharged. _Jesus. I Know I had rigged them to explode, but I really hope Lacrima are naturally very stable._

* * *

Edmond blocked a small bolt of lighting by moving his whip in it's path, the magical lighting much slower than the real deal. That didn't stop the small fireball from hitting his shoulder though, making him wince as his body was pivoted against his will. They had been fighting on the old bridge for a few minutes already, with the mages that followed Erigor losing nearly half of their members already, mostly thanks to a fire-breathing dragon slayer.

"C'mon! Is that all you got!?" Natsu asked cockily and aggressively, his flames still alight as three mages groaned not far from him, all on the ground with scorch marks on their clothes. Lucy was glaring at them, whip in hand, and Taurus ahead of her, ready to fight again. Erigor's cocky smile faltered a bit at the number of mages they had already taken out, but was still confident in his better mage's combat abilities. He was about to order a full assault, with himself as the head before everything stopped.

The first one to notice what was going on was Lucy, seeing a faint trail of fiery smoke ascending into the sky a mile or two from their position. She was about to point it out to the others before she saw the top of an explosion in the same area, right before being blasted with the shockwave and deafening sound of the explosion itself. The shockwave was little more than a small thud against her chest, but the sound left her ears ringing for a second or two, everyone had felt it as well, with Erigor ascending to see the source and his face turning into shock upon seeing the top of the smoke from the explosion.

"W-What was that!?" One mage from Erigor's side exclaimed, clearly unnerved by the power displayed.

"It sounded like it came from the base!" Another yelled with worry, fixing his gaze towards the direction of the explosion. That was before he was punched by a flaming fist.

"Harry?" Edmond asked more to himself than anyone, spotting several flaming debris flying out of the center of the explosion. "N-No. That's not… supposed to happen." He said,

"Don't just turn your back on us!" Natsu exclaimed, far less affected by the explosion than anyone else.

Erigor turned his attention back to Fairy Tail, a look of hate and rage overtaking his earlier cocky expression. "This idiocy is going to end now." he said to himself as he descended into combat range of the young wizards. "YOU!" he shouted at the Fairy Tail wizards, getting the attention of everyone in the vicinity. "You just can't keep your nose out of places it doesn't belong can you? Well I'm getting sick of your crap."

Edmond felt the wind become strong in the surrounding area as Erigor began to summon a tornado to fight the intruders alongside him.

"Don't forget I've beaten you once before Erigor, and I'll do it again if you keep putting innocent lives in danger." Natsu exclaimed, quite proud of himself. Erigor, of course, did not share natsu's viewpoints or enthusiasm.

"Trust me, salamander, I'm well aware of my past mistakes, but this time I'm not the one thats going to fall today." At this, Erigor began casting many different wind-based spells and Natsu began to fight back, his previous encounters with Erigor helping him to predict Erigor's attacks better. Happy helped keep him in the air as the two fought with the dark mage fiercely.

Edmond watched as the two more experienced wizards duked it out, and noticed Erigor's men slowly coming back to fight, as if seeing Erigor fighting encouraged them somehow. He knew that he would need to keep the other wizards out of the fight to help Natsu, so he reformed a weapon and challenged the closest bandit. Unfortunately for him, though, three of them decided that they wanted a piece of Edmond and they began to approach him quickly. Edmond summoned forth his sword, the blade a bit longer than what he would usually cast.

"Alright, Natsu can take Erigor, we can take these guys on, right Edmond?" Lucy asked, glazing over at him, but her eyes widened upon seeing the livid expression on Edmond's face.

"This is all their fault…" Edmond growled, before suddenly breaking into a full run at the charging bandits, shocking Lucy as he fearlessly swung, slicing at two of the bandits, knocking them away, their natural magical defenses keeping them from being cut deep. The third tried to hit the cosmic mage with a fist shrouded in a glowing green energy, but Edmond blocked it with the flat of his blade before using it's butt end to hit the opposing mage in the gut and knock him to the ground. Before the mage could retaliate, Edmond stabbed his sword into the man's arm, eliciting a cry of pain before he was rendered unconscious by the angry mage's shoe.

"Edmond?" Lucy asked in a worried tone. "Harry could be okay, he might have set the trap for after his escape." She offered with a gentle tone, trying to calm the mage down, which seemed to work as Edmond eyed the other bandits with a glare, but nearly as hateful as before.

"Screw this!" One mage shouted. "Everyone, get em!" He shouted, and all at once, the rest of the largely non-notable bandits rushed the two. Edmond was about to dissipate his sword, before the memories of the hammer earlier came to his mind. He smirked as he kept his sword in its solid form before throwing it at the incoming crowd. The sword began to wobble and shimmer as it's form began to loosen. Edmond stepped back a few feet before the sword impacted another mage's one sword who was merely going to swat the weapon out of the way. The cosmic sword worked as Edmond expected, exploding violently, but not as strongly as the hammer had.

"Nice one!" Natsu called, apparently having seen the explosion. Nearly five of the mages were now on the ground in various states of scorched and stunned, with the man who had attempted to swat the sword the worse for wear. They fell over all at once in the next moment. Edmond, Lucy and the other bandits stopped for a moment to process what had happened before the mages continued their charge, unchanged in their confidence.

Lucy glared hard, but couldn't help glancing over at the large smoke cloud that peaked just over the treeline. The occasional smoke stream indicated pieces of debris flying through the air and falling down in varying arcs. With the exception of one.

"Huh?" Lucy said aloud, noticing one of the smoke trails had not lost it's angle at all, and was in fact, leveling out, continuing it's path through the sky back from where they came from. The fact there was a small light at the back end of whatever the object was only made her more interested in it.

"What?" Edmond asked, preparing a spell, but seeing how Lucy seemed distracted. He looked to where she was gazing and noticed the trail of smoke himself. _Could that be Harry? _He asked himself, a growing feeling of hope in his chest. It seemed though that Natsu and Erigor noticed their gazes as well, and looked up, seeing the trail as well.

"The heck is that?" Natsu asked no one in particular.

"Is it a shooting star?" Happy asked, looking over Natsu's shoulder in the air. "It's kinda glowing like one." He indicated, referring to the small orange light seen at the back of the object. Erigor looked at the object in confusion, knowing it wasn't a piece of debris, but also not understanding what could go to such a height and survive an explosion like that. That's when realization hit him like a ton of bricks. _The bastard probably isn't affected by his own magic! Or something of that sort… so it's gotta be him! _Erigor exclaimed in his head, his face contorting into a scowl. He forgot natsu, the wind around him growing faster as a small vortex formed under his feet, his magic doing as he commanded it. Then he flew to the object like a shot, the resulting wind pressure blowing Natsu and Happy away by a few feet, the small blue cat struggling to keep himself straight.

"What the hell!?" Natsu exclaimed, looking up to Erigor with an angry expression. "Come back here and fight damn it! Don't run away!" He exclaimed, growing madder by the second.

"Natsu!" Lucy called, breaking the dragonslayer out of his shouting. "He's getting away! We'll handle these guys here!" She exclaimed pointing to the smoke trail that Erigor was heading towards. At that, Natsu sported a dangerous grin.

"Well in that case, I'll take you up on that offer." Natsu said, punching a flaming fist into his palm.

"Aye!" Happy said, determination in his eyes as he flew both himself and Natsu up to Erigor as quickly as he could.

* * *

Harry was still trying to ignore the raging winds around him as he flew himself and the kids to where he thought Ginville was. The previous fortress now long behind them, he was flying over what looked to be a river. He looked from left to right to spot any signifying landmarks, and while there was nothing recognizable, he did spot a small bridge quite a ways away with what appeared to be fires around it. He noticed an explosion happen that had a similar color to Edmond's magic. _Wait… Edmond isn't here is he? Shit. He probably saw the explosion. He might be thinking the worst as well. I suppose it's too late now. I don't want to turn back yet, but based on the location of the bridge, where the fortress is, and where he came from, I'm going the right way. _Harry surmised, quickly deducing he was most likely going in the correct direction of Ginville. As he was about to turn away from the bridge though, something caught his eye, something was getting closer, and it looked disturbingly similar to Erigor. _Oh shit. _

The Armored mage lurched on his side in the air, making his three passengers cry with worry. Harry fully faced Erigor as he surged at him, his scythe already in striking position. Harry brought up his arms from their positions at his sides to block, the scythe digging into the iron plate more than Harry was comfortable with. The strike knocked Harry off his intended trajectory, and was now headed straight to the ground. In a moment of desperation, he faced the ground again, and leveled out as much as he could, lowering the power from his thrusters before he collided with the dirt. He skidded along the ground for several dozen feet, leaving a long crater in the earth.

The crash landing was rough on all three of them, the three younger kids managing to pry themselves off of the armor slowly as Harry moved to stand. Once he was finally up and moving, he looked around only to be hit in the back by a force which he could only describe as 'intense'. He was knocked away, landing hardly onto the ground again, one again on his chest as a weight pressed down on his armored back. Harry could vaguely hear Madison and Jake call after him.

"I bet you thought it was funny huh? Blowing up my base and getting the better of ol' Erigor, huh fly?" Erigor asked with a hiss, a sharp blade tapping on the side of his helmet. "Well, we'll see who gets the last laugh." He said dangerously, raising his scythe above him, ready to strike the armored mage down, only for said mage to suddenly rocket forward, Erigor's feet coming out from underneath him as Harry activated his thrusters on the ground.

Harry stopped a short distance away and got up, this time in much more of a rush. He looked to where Erigor was to see the wind mage was striking at him with his scythe. Too slow to react, Harry's helmet took the brunt of the force, a large gash now showing on the upper temple of the neatly fitted helmet. Harry tried to raise his arms, but Erigor slashed at them next, the force behind each swing enough to keep them down for Erigor to strike at Harry's head again, this time cutting downwards.

"Hehe. Not so tough now, are you punk? Can't even get an attack in." Erigor teased, watching as Harry raised his armored arms to defend himself only for Erigor to cut at the forearms, leaving gashes in the iron plates with each one, the plates quickly losing strength, and some portions of them showing parts of the leather underneath. Then a blast went off, something that sounded somewhere between a raygun and a handgun, Erigor looking behind him at Madison, wielding the enchanted gun Harry had given her earlier.

"Get away from him." She said, with tears stinging her eyes. She shot again, the blast hitting Erigor's shoulder, but like the last one, he barely even flinched. She shot again, the arm, once again to no effect. Harry took advantage of the distraction and went for a grapple, only for Erigor to slam the butt of his scythe into Harry's helmeted head, the ringing sound being worse than any actual pain. Erigor approached Madison as she continued shooting. Harry followed with desperation in his movements, but a torrent of wind slammed into him, sending his armored form sprawling across the forested area.

"What was that? Little fly?" Erigor had not reacted one as she kept firing over and over, hopelessness filling her heart. Her siblings were behind her clinging onto her legs, unsure of what might happen, but unwilling to leave her. "So you'd like to fight me instead huh?" Madison couldn't bring herself to shoot anymore, awaiting the inevitable.

"Yea! I would!" And like that, Erigor's world seemed to explode as a flaming man came flying at him from the sky. "Our fight isn't over yet!" Natsu's scream only made Erigor's scowl grow as he used his magic to fly up, right as Natsu landing a punch that would have struck him, but making the dragon slayer hit the ground instead.

By the time Harry got up, he saw a pink-haired, seemingly crazed, flaming man slam into the ground Erigor was standing on, only for him to get up from the small crater he made completely unharmed. _Wait… is there a cat with wings on his back? _Harry asked himself, wondering if the strikes to his helmet had done more damage than he originally thought. The pink haired man glared at Erigor before looking at the three kids who were watching him with awe. Then he turned to Harry, his face had become a bit gentler when looking at the kids, but now his scowl returned in force.

"And who the hell are you?" Natsu asked dangerously, his fists lighting up, looking between the armored man and Erigor. He took a moment to size up the unknown individual, but took note of the rather small magical presence he had, and the fact the armor he had looked rather sinister, the black iron giving him the look of a dark wizard.

"He's the one who saved us! That's Mr Harry!" The oldest of the kids spoke up quickly, making Natsu glance at them before looking back at the armored man with a new light.

"Natsu! Look! His armor is covered in gashes!" Happy said, noticing the large cuts on the iron plates, making Natsu's eyes widen. "Those had to have come from Erigor!" Natsu then glared up at Erigor, who had been floating in the sky, appraising the dragon slayer, thinking about how to combat the fire wielder this time.

"So it looks like it's just you and me Erigor. Ready for the real rematch?" Natsu asked with a feral grin, obviously looking forward to the coming fight. Erigor scowled, raising his scythe.

"Yea, I think I am, and this time, I'm not the one whos going down." Erigor threatened, before swiping his scythe around him "**Storm Mail!**" Erigor's shout was followed by the wind around him twisting rapidly, before seeming to form around his body, completely encasing himself in a torrent of wind-made armor.

"So he did have more up his sleeve…" Harry said to himself, watching as the wind circulated around Erigor's body. _Shouldn't that be creating a vacuum inside of the vortex to the point where he can't breathe? then again, magic. _Harry's thoughts were interrupted as Natsu flew up to meet Erigor by way of his magic flying and talking cat. _I swear, things just keep getting weirder. _Harry jogged to where the kids were as a flaming fist met a wind shrouded Scythe creating a shockwave of high pressure winds and flames, Harry reached Madison, Jake, and Sally, quickly shielding them as a wave of heated air pressure washed over them. _Damn, I can even feel the heat through the armor. These guys don't mess around. _Harry thought, turning around to see Erigor and Natsu clash in the air.

"**Storm Shred!**" Erigor's yell was followed by a barrage of nearly translucent 'blades' of wind, only barely visible thanks to the faint purple glow of magic they gave off. The attack was directed at Natsu, who was below him, so once Natsu Dodged, the blades went to the ground, cutting down several trees with relative ease. The Dragon slayer retaliated by breathing his right foot in fire and soaring above the wind mage before Happy dropped him.

"**Fire Dragon Claw!**" Natsu exclaimed, Erigor managing to dodge the hit, but some of the dense flames struck at the storm mail Erigor had created, making it falter, even if just slightly. Natus did not relent, breathing his other foot in fire and using his legs to launch himself at Erigor, head first. "**Fire Dragon Sword Horn!**" The dragon slayer's body, covered in flames, struck Erigor's storm mail, and after a moment where the two attacks met, they both dispersed. The flames around Natsu were blown away while Erigor's storm mail seemed to falter and die. Erigor looked panicked, while Natsu looked like he was having the time of his life.

Harry couldn't help but stare in genuine awe as the two mages clashed. The power they had was almost unreal, and yet here they were, duking it out with shockwaves and heatwaves even he could feel. Erigor seemed to regain his composure, forming a large magic circle in front of him.

"**Storm Bringer!**" At those words, the wind around Harry picked up significantly, which was swiftly followed by a several story tall tornado emerging from the ground, and sweeping both Natsu and his cat in it. They cried out in both pain and shock as the winds cut at them hard. _I should probably get the kids out of here asap. _Harry figured. He urged the kids to start moving away from the fight, which they thankfully did without asking. Harry was right behind them, trudging along in long strides to make up for his slow pace. All was for naught though, as only a minute later, Natsu came crashing down in front of them like a meteor. There was a good bit of dirt on him, and spots of blood visible from various cuts all along his body, plus his shirt had been mostly shredded, reduced to nothing but thin strands of cloth loosely clinging to his person.

"Other way." Harry stated simply, imploring the kids to go in a different direction, which they attempted to, but Erigor found them first, floating down to get in their way. Harry stood between them, the wind mage rolling his eyes.

"You really think you can do anything to me after seeing that?" Erigor asked incredulously, glancing over to the pink haired man, who was slowly getting up out of the crater with a glare.

"Maybe not, but it's not going to do any good to not try." Harry said with defiance, raising his arms, curling his gloved hands into fists, and mentally activating the one true weapon he had installed. Two thin sticks of iron shot out, stopping nearly two feet from the sides of his arms enchantments glowing alongside the iron cylinders. Erigor's eyes widened a bit at the development, but before he could respond, Harry activated them. "So, It's my turn." With that, two streams of magical liquid fire shot forth from the barrels, covering the distance between Erigor and Harry in an instant, and shrouding the dark mage with curling orange flames. Only for the attack to disperse easily, winds shooting around, making the flames dance around the mage harmlessly, largely dispersing the attack.

"Nice try, but no luck." Erigor said with a smirk, traces of the attack landing around him. Harry kept the pressure on though, the flames curving around the mage like snow to a plow. He walked forwards, the flames still being spewed from Harry, the armored man growing nervous as he took a step back. They both stopped though as the flames from Harry's attack began to move towards their left, where Natsu was, as the fire mage began to inhale forcefully, the fire seemingly pulled towards his mouth by the action. _The hell? _Was all Harry could think, before some of the fire reached his mouth not a second later, and Natsu began to inhale it without any sign of pain or discomfort. _The Hell!? _Harry suddenly realized there was a hell of a lot about magic that he had no idea about, something he found embarrassing, wonder inducing, and terrifying all at the same time. Sure he had read a great deal about magical types in the books he had read in the library, but nothing like this, plus actually seeing such powers come into conflict in front of him had been another thing all together.

Natsu finished absorbing the fire, the other two mages looking at him with curiosity as he picked himself up. "Thanks for the meal bud." Natsu said, leveling a glare at Erigor, one that seemed to make the wind mage unconsciously take a step back. "Now I'm all fired up!" At his declaration, his body became shrouded in flames, a feral grin like when he first started fighting appearing on his face. Erigor took another step backwards, while Harry wisely got out of the way, ushering the kids with him.

"**Fire Dragon-**" Natsu began, his cheeks puffing up a bit as he prepared for an all out attack.

"**Storm Mail!**" Erigor yelled frantically, the storm wall surrounding his person before he surged upwards, attempting to dodge the attack. Natsu followed the dark mage with his eyes, lining up his attack.

"-**Roar!**" Natsu finished naming his attack as he bellowed out a massive pillar of fire headed straight towards the wind mage, Erigor narrowly avoided the attack, but Natsu merley moved his head towards the wind mage, the pillar of fire not shrinking or diminishing. The dragon slayer's attack hit, destroying the storm mail in an instant, before meeting Erigor's body directly, making the wind mage cry in burning pain.

The attack ceased, Erigor remaining suspended in the air a moment, his skin and clothes burned to a crisp, and his eyes having lost their color. He fell out of the sky, landing not far from the five of them, followed shortly by a small blue cat with wings, looking down at the downed wind mage with a thoughtful expression.

"I think you did worse this time Natsu. You needed help from the armored guy." Harry looked up to see the cat look over to the mage who had single handedly dealt with the most powerful threat he had known since arriving in Earthland. Natsu breathed out, seemingly not that irritated by the remark, but instead shrugging it off.

"Yea, whatever, he was a little tougher I guess, but he only got one or two good hits in." Natsu defended, looking at the blue cat as he descended.

"Well, we should probably make sure he doesn't get away this time." Happy seemingly chastised, as for why, Harry could only guess that Natsu had defeated Erigor once before, but last time had somehow allowed the wind mage to escape captivity. Harry would have kept listening, but he was stopped by three shapes who got right up into his face.

"Mr Harry, that was amazing!" Jake practically screamed, while Sally simply stared between the two mages with an awestruck expression. "I mean, Madison said 'We're ready' and then we were just like brrroaauuuggg" He said, attempting to mimic the sound of the thrusters. "And then the explosion happened a-" He was cut off as Madison conked her little brother over the head, eliciting a small whine from him.

"Mr Harry was also there, so you don't have to go repeating what just happened." Madison gently chastised, making Jake nod a bit forlornly. She then looked up to the armored man, a genuine smile on her face. "Thank you. We're free of that place thanks to you." Jake then nodded fervently, while Sally nodded afterward, following after her brother's example, but not as heavily.

"There's no need, and besides, I told you I'd get you home safe right?" At that, they all nodded. "Which also means getting you three back to your parents." At his statement, the kids seemed to freeze for a moment, and then the younger ones seemed to pounce on Harry, 'thank you' and 'your the best' coming from their mouths the most. Madison seemed to have expected the response, chuckling at the reaction of the kids. "Why are you hugging me? I told you all I'd get you home yesterday, didn't I?" Harry asked, somewhat confused about their sudden affection towards him.

"It's probably because you're a pretty good guy!" Natsu's sudden interjection into the conversation drew all eyes to him. "Seems that way to me anyway!" He said with a light laugh, making Harry merely shrug. "Anyway, we need to get back to the bridge we were on! Lucy and Edmond are hogging all the fun!" Natsu said, picking up the limp form of Erigor, and beginning to trek towards the old bridge. _So Edmond is here, and he did get help. It's a good thing I suppose. _Harry thought as he followed behind the seemingly excited and unhindered dragon slayer while the kids stayed behind them. _He isn't even limping after that attack, but my arms and head still ache from when Erigor struck me all those times. If it wasn't for the armor, I'm sure I'd be dead tenfold. _Harry thought with an odd form of awe and dread, an odd sense of respect forming for the pink haired young man.

* * *

Edmond cursed lightly as he got stuck by another stray magical attack, this time being cast by a mage who appeared to be air boxing. The bandit mage used some kind of fist magic which allowed him to keep distance from his enemy, while still being able to land solid strikes with ease. Edmond, upon quickly realizing he would have a difficult time getting close enough to this foe to hit him, unleashed a projectile from his mind "**Cosmic make: Anvil!**" he called out, hurtling a smaller, but faster than normal projectile at the bandit. Edmond's opponent dodged, but not before Edmond could close a significant distance on the enemy who was now in range of his whip.

Edmond snapped his whip at the legs of the mage, who was grabbed and tumbled down to the ground, his head getting slammed hard and causing him to go unconscious. However, even after that small victory, it looked to Edmond like they still had plenty of men to spare. Edmond focused on his whip to dissipate without issue before facing his new opponents.

Another bandit rushed Edmond, this time a large hammer in his hands and a friend to join him. He wasn't sure if their weapons were magical based or not, so he needed to come up with a way to find out. Thankfully, he felt like he'd have that problem covered.

As the bandit readied his hammer, his friend readied a crossbow that he carried on his back. Edmond dodged the hammer with ease. It was a slow moving weapon, apparently not designed for combat but construction by the looks of it. But Edmond wasn't worried about the hammer as much as the crossbow. The bandit focused his attention in hopes to find an opening before he fired a bolt. Edmond cursed as the bolt grazed his right arm, piercing through his black duster, and slicing against his skin.

Edmond charged the bandit with the crossbow, positioning his hands into his now signature casting style. "**Cosmic make: Sword!**" He yelled, swinging wide, the cosmic sword slamming into the bandit's chest. He coughed out spit as he was hurled backwards, Edmond turning around as the bandit with the hammer came after him with a vengeful look. The ameteur wizard gripping the cosmic-made sword tightly as he swung right as the bandit did. The two weapons met, the sword easily slicing through the wooden handle of the weapon, and allowing Edmond to easily dodge the now free falling hammerhead. He followed up with a strong punch against the bandit's face, knocking him to the ground before slamming his sword into his body, knocking him out cold.

Edmond huffed as he surveyed the damage so far, and saw that Lucy was doing about as well as he was. Considering her power placement in canon, he was rather embarrassed by that. More approached them as they prepared for another onslaught. Edmond wiped his forehead, the sweat on his brow indicating to him just how tired he was getting. Not only that, but he was beginning to feel the sensation of his magic pool draining. _I can't keep this up for much longer,_ He said to himself _But I can't let them get away with what they've done to us and the town._

"How you holding up?" Edmond asked, looking over to Lucy, slightly wincing as he moved, his injuries making most kinds of movement difficult. Lucy was panting slightly, and sweat was running down the side of her face, her whip in one hand, and a golden key in the other.

"As good as I can in this situation." Lucy stated, also wincing as she spoke. Edmond sighed loudly, or attempted to, before breaking down into a coughing fit, bruises he was unable to see on his chest making deep breathing painful. "Edmond!" Lucy cried in worry, watching Edmond cough.

"They're on their last ropes!" One of the larger bandits yelled with a smile, several whip lashes across his body, and his clothes largely in tatters. His words seemed to rally the still conscious bandits, all crying as they charged at once, seeing their chance to take down their opponents. Lucy readied her magic, the key in her left hand glowing with gold light while Edmond growled his cough down and got ready to cast another spell. Before the ground in front of the bandits erupted in fire, making them stop, and some of them getting burned as the flames danced dangerously close to them. Lucy's hardened expression turned into a happy one as she looked up to see Natsu flying above them with the help of Happy, a wide grin on his face.

"Looks like we weren't too late!" Natsu exclaimed gleefully, the bandits suddenly realizing what his return meant. Edmond sighed lightly in relief upon seeing the dragon slayer, knowing now that Erigor had been dealt with. _Now, we need to get to what's left of their base and look for Harry, he's sure to have made his escape or something. He can't be dead… he just can't _Edmond thought, watching as Natsu descended as the flames died down, putting himself between the bandits, Edmond and Lucy.

"I think it'd be best if we all let Natsu handle the rest of this." A new voice spoke up, one that was immediately familiar to Edmond, although the rather heavy clunky footsteps that followed were not. Edmond whirled around quick enough to give most people whiplash to see a figure clad in black iron, covered in a multitude of slash marks and cuts, and with the familiar glow of Harry's magic beneath the plates. There was also an unconscious Erigor slung across his left shoulder, bound in ropes.

"Harry!?" Edmond exclaimed, not expecting his friends sudden appearance. As he said this, an explosion rocked the area in front of them as Nastu got to work. The cosmic wizard also noticed three other figures somewhat hiding behind Harry, two of them being rather small. Lucy took note of the figure as well, a slightly conflicted expression on her face. Edmond's shock soon turned to happiness, relieved his friend was very much alive and kicking.

"So… this is your friend?" Lucy asked hesitantly, looking at the black iron armor with slight trepidation. It's color, the man's slightly baritone voice, and the fact he looked near seven feet tall in the armor made him an intimidating figure.

"Yea, this is Harry, Harry, this is Lucy." Edmond introduced the two of them, Harry offering the blonde a curt nod. She returned it right as a burst of fire erupted behind her, scaring her into jumping up, Natsu's fighting bleeding into their area.

"You idiot! Who are you even aiming at? The enemy's over there!" Lucy yelled up at Natsu, the dragon slayer taking notice of her location.

"Oops, sorry Lucy. Guess I got a little carried away. There's just so many bad guys to burn!" he said in a strange, but oddly genuine apology. Lucy didn't really seem to acknowledge his apology immediately.

"Well, keep an eye on what you're burning! I doubt the mayor would pay us if we all went back as a crisp!" Lucy's yell made Harry look at Edmond, and even with his face covered, Edmond could tell he was raising his brow. Edmond merely shrugged, as Lucy drew closer to Edmond and Harry, staying out of the way of Natsu as much as possible.

"So… Lucy. I imagine you and Natsu were both hired by Edmond to rescue me?" Harry surmised, Lucy looking at the armored man with slightly wide eyes.

"Y-Yea, did Natsu tell you?" Lucy asked, curiously, but Harry merely shrugged.

"Not really, but it was easy to figure out. You're both guild wizards given your matching marks, you're both new to this area, and people I haven't seen before, and you're here with Edmond." Harry explained his reasoning, Lucy blinking, thinking about all the times normal people or other mages had simple misunderstandings, and made some jobs a lot harder than necessary. Yet Harry had broken down the situation quickly and accurately. "Is something wrong?" He suddenly asked, curiosity in his tone.

"No, its just, not a lot of people would be so calm to seeing someone like Natsu… I guess." Lucy answered, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Um. Lucy Heartfilia, me and Natsu are both from Fairy Tail." She offered her hand, a small smile gracing her lips, Harry taking the offered hand in his gloved one, and nodding firmly.

"Harrison White, novice mage." Harry stated simply, removing his hand from the gesture. Then he turned behind him to his three charges. "And these three are Sally, Jake, and Madison, in order from youngest to oldest." The three waved at Lucy, the celestial spirit mage glazing at Harry with a questioning look. Before he could respond, Madison spoke up first.

"We were captives in Erigor's base when Mr. Harry came in too. We were told to help him make a weapon, but instead we all worked on creating this armor so we could all escape." Madison's response made Lucy nod an understanding expression on her face.

"Alright!" Natsu's exclamation brought everyone's attention to him as he stood around a small mound of charred and unconscious bandits, groans filling the air. "Lets get these guys back to the village! I'm starving!" He said with a happy smile, Happy himself responding with an 'aye'.

"Well… I suppose we could carry some of them back…" Harry said, eyeing the unconscious bandits with a sense of dread, knowing they couldn't bring them all back to the village in a timely manner, but also knowing leaving all of these others here meant they would probably get away.

"We'll just carry as many as we can." Lucy said with a deadpan expression, making Natsu nod as he began to pile bandits onto his shoulders like it was going out of style. Edmond sighed as he went to follow his example, but due to his injuries, only managed one, Lucy doing the same. Harry grabbed one more bandit on his other shoulder, but any others Natsu had to carry. That being a total of twelve, any others were left as the small group made their way back to the village.

* * *

"Finally!" Lucy cried in relief, finally having been freed of the bandit on her shoulders and allowed a moment to rest. Natus seemed just as cheery as before, not having had a problem with loading nearly a dozen men on his shoulder. Edmond looked as if death had washed over him, merely staring at the ground as his body screamed at him to rest, his body, despite now flowing with magic, still not used to such abuse. Harry seemed better off, but only slightly, and harder to tell due to his armor.

"Welp, Another job well done!" Natsu exclaimed happily, all of them standing just outside of the guard station, the bandits and Erigor himself having been loaded off with the authorities. They had yet to report the completion to the mayor, but at this point, it was mostly a done job. Happy yawned, the evening light around them signaling that night was soon to approach, the cat's body reacting as most would. Harry was reminded of how Madison and her siblings had been once they had finally gotten to the village. thankfully, the guard station was more than willing to look after them and help get them back to their old village. The novice mage still had every intention of making sure they got back to their home, but at the moment, they needed to be somewhere safe and comfortable.

"Great…" Edmond moaned, clearly just wanting to get some rest. Harry shifted, his armored plates clacking against each other a bit, and upon looking around he saw the familiar figure of the mayor approaching. He gently elbowed Edmond alert as he pointed to the mayor, who had an understanding smile already on his face as he approached.

"Well done, all of you. It appears as though the assignment must have been more troublesome than we all first thought." The mayor said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Natsu just laughed it off.

"Its no big deal, that Erigor guy was a chump, no problem for a fairy tail wizard!" Natsu's statement earned a groan from Lucy and a deadpan stare from Edmond while Harry hummed to himself, thinking about the fight Natsu was referring to.

"Nevertheless, Ginville is in your debt. You have all helped capture Erigior and a good portion of the bandits working for him. You've all done a wonderful job." The mayor said hopefully, making the mages smile at one another, a sense of joint accomplishment in their expressions. "Which I believe means a reward is in order." His statement drew the mages in again, who all listened raptly for what the mayor offered. "For Natsu and Lucy, I have prepared a total sum of 190,000 jewls, and of course, free lodgings in the local Inn for tonight if you wish."

Lucy and Natsu cried out happily upon hearing the reward offered, apparently more than pleased with the amount. Harry, listening to the mayor seemed a bit confused why the two professional mages would be okay with receiving what was roughly 1,900 dollars in U.S. currency. Then he remembered that jewls could get you a little farther in this world than they would have on earth if converted. "For Edmond and Harry, I believe most of your reward was agreed to when you first arrived, however, I wish to give each of you something from the town's treasury. You both have done quite a bit for this small town, and I believe it only right to try to help the both of you as much as we can."

"Treasury?" Harry inquired, curious about what else besides jewels they would keep in there.

"Yes, we have small collection of magic items and such that might be of interest to you if you want. Nothing particularly special, I'm afraid, but if they can help you in any way you'd be welcome to them" The mayor explained, making Edmond nod, his gaze indicating he was still a hit out of it.

"Sure thing, sounds great." Edmond stated, grogginess in his voice. Harry sighed a bit, looking over at Lucy, Natsu, and Happy who were all speaking amongst themselves, seemingly talking about how to split the reward, with Lucy progressively becoming more and more irate.

"That sounds fine, but perhaps we could look over it quickly? I'm sure I speak for both me and Edmond in saying we'd like to get some shut eye. If we haven't decided perhaps we could look over it all tomorrow?" Harry offered, his armor still on, and apparently not too bothered about it.

"That sounds fine to me Harry, so if you would, follow me." The mayor said, the three of the making their way down the street towards town hall. As they did, the two fairy tail wizards and one flying cat seemed to have come to an agreement with the reward split.

"So… should we go collect the reward now? Or in the morning?" Natsu asked himself looking away with a thinking expression. Lucy was about to answer, but Happy spoke up first.

"We should just ask in the morning! I'm tired… and hungry!" The cat whined, his stomach growling loudly, and following it, Natsu's did as well.

"So we should ask for the reward now so we can pay for our food!" Lucy exclaimed, her already annoyed mood quickly becoming frustrated as Natsu rubbed his stomach.

"Okay okay, geez." Natsu said, before turning to the mayor, only to find him, Edmond, and Harry all had left. "Huh. They're gone." He said neutrally, Lcuy gawking that the three of them would just leave like that.

"I guess Lucy will have to pay." Happy said, stating that as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I will not you dumb cat!" Lucy yelled defiantly, glaring at Happy angrily.

"Thanks for treating us!" Natsu said graciously, a large grin on his face. That grin didn't last long as Lucy kicked the face it belonged to.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Welp… I don't know what to say except… it was a long time coming. Wish we could have had this out sooner, but Black_Hawk has been very busy Irl, and while I have as well, most of my free time has also been taken up by my own stories that any followers of mine know that I write. **

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out unfortunately, hopefully within the next month, but I don't like making promises, especially with myself having two other stories in the works. Maybe one day when I complete one of those two I'll be able to dedicate more time to this fic, but that won't come about for some time. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always… **

**Thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6-Breakout Part 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**Breakout: Part 3**

The mayor had led Edmond and Harry down a dark hallway beneath the courthouse. The dank air and cold walls of stone seemed dungeon-like to Edmond, who stayed near the light made by the mayor's torch. Being in such a place had sapped the tiredness out of his body, suddenly wary of their surroundings, despite the circumstances.

"What is this place?" Harry asked, curious as to how a town like this would have such an elaborate underground passageway. His armor was now resting outside of the courthouse thanks to the help of both Edmond and the mayor, now only his jeans, plain blue shirt and tennis shoes showed.

"These are the catacombs of Ginville, a closely guarded secret of the village." the mayor responded, as if this was all particularly normal. Harry took note of the overly casual response, but said nothing else.

"This is certainly deep down." Harry remarked "I believe we've even passed below the sewage system." He said, looking at the ceiling, and how it was considerably damper than the floor they were stepping upon, plus the faint foul smell around them.

"Correct indeed." the mayor replied "These catacombs were the first thing built here, as a fortress of sorts. The village and it's sewage system were all constructed afterwards."

"Really?" Edmond asked "Why on earth would you build a tomb before the village that would occupy it. Seems a bit morbid doesn't it?" Edmond's question caused Harry to wonder about that himself, but the mayor merely released a quiet sigh before speaking.

"It didn't always used to be catacombs, but instead it was used as public shelter and storage for a long time. It was repurposed around a hundred years ago, but the structure itself is as old as the town." The mayor's reply made both Harry and Edmond look at each other for a moment before focusing back ahead.

"So... was it built when the first settlers arrived? Or did it exist beforehand?" Harry inquired, the history behind the structure around them becoming more intriguing the more they spoke of it.

"Not settlers as far as we know. We honestly aren't sure why they built this place in such a manner." This response confused Harry and Edmond even more "We believe that in the earliest days of whatever this settlement might have been called, it had to deal with a lot of bad weather, and as such, basically built a bunker that they could take shelter in. No one is entirely sure about that though, as many of the oldest documents about the town were lost in a fire some two hundred years ago."

"Really? And so what? Everyone assumed this place was used for storage?" Harry asked, now somewhat cautious of this place "Are you sure that's all there is to it?."

The mayor didn't seem as if he wanted to answer that question "I'm afraid I can't tell you much else, everyone at the time already knew that the catacombs were used for storage, but as for what had already been stored within, they had no idea what it all could be. Only the mayor, Quartermaster, and the like were privy to that information, and it's recorded that they died in that very same blaze." He suddenly stopped walking, then turned to Edmond and Harry, a bleak expression on his face. "But that is all in the past now. I admit, I have made many mistakes in my life while leading this village, pulling you two into our problems was only one of the more recent ones." the two friends stared at the mayor for a moment, the torchlight flickering almost as if it was threatening to go out at times. "I want you to understand that the village is grateful for all that you did for us."

Edmond scratched the back of his head "To be honest sir, I'm not really certain we really deserve any reward," Edmond stated matter of factly "it kind of felt like we caused more trouble than we were worth."

"Nonsense," the mayor stated, now continuing to walk down the corridor "If anything I am to blame. I should have called a guild such as Fairy Tail to come deal with our problem from the start, but I was afraid someone might try and stick their nose where it otherwise shouldn't be. I dragged you into the mess I made, I should repay you for what you've endured, both of you."

"I appreciate that." Harry began hesitantly, still unsure how to take all this new information about Ginville and its history. "But are you sure this is alright? What if one of these objects that we pick out is dangerous or is something the village has been guarding?" his question gave the mayor pause as he thought about the question.

"I believe that will be a non issue. I've been down here plenty of times, but none of the items we hold here should be capable of harming any of us." He said with a smile, finally coming to a stop before a large stone door. The ancient looking portal appeared to have strange designs lining it's surface, the actual doors having no handles, but instead having a long rectangular indentions on both sides.

"So. Everything that's beyond this door…" Harry began again, his tone still serious, but this time taking a darker tone. "Is something worth hiring an assassin over?" He asked, having remembered the brief conversation the mayor had with Erigor before he was captured. The Over-Enchant wizard could only assume that this 'vault' was what had been leaked to the subject of the assassination attempt. The Mayor froze, as did Edmond, both of them having forgotten about Erigor's talk with the town's elected official.

"I… almost forgot about that." Edmond said, crossing his arms and glaring at the back of the mayor's head. "If nothing in here can harm us and isn't 'that special' then why go through that trouble?" The mayor sighed and turned around to face the two.

"Because the information that the town has this is somewhat of a well known secret within the town itself. It's one thing for a normal person to know about its existence, but another for a powerful criminal or dark guild to know about it. It's true that nothing in here is powerful or revolutionary to our knowledge, but it's existence has been a guarded secret for generations. Which is why the town mostly keeps quiet about the tomb, to protect the community as a whole from threat." The mayor explained, his defense makings sense to Harry, but the novice mage still couldn't help but think that requesting assassination against someone who found out its precious secret is a step too far.

"I don't have a place to judge, but I believe that hiring Erigor was a wrong move." Harry stated simply, turning his gaze from the mayor to the door. The mayor looked at him for a second, along with Edmond as they both looked at Harry with incredulous looks, the sheer obviousness of the statement shocking both of them.

"Well uh, yea." Edmond said, scratching the back of his head. "Couldn't you have… y'know, made a fake tomb or something somewhere else?" The mayor's eyes widened, as he had not thought of that idea.

"Perhaps, but if they knew about it and were persistent enough, they'd find this one eventually." Harry said, walking up to the door, a curious expression on his face.

"Correct. Either that, or destroy the town after finding the fake tomb or something else similar." The mayor said, a grim tone in his voice. Moving on from the conversation, he made a motion in front of the door and spoke quietly into the door, and a moment later, the two stone doors slid apart, allowing Harry and Edmond to see inside. The first thing they noticed was the large pile of loose clothes all bundled up near the entrance, oddly lacking any dust or dirt. The second thing they noticed was a faded tapestry rolled up alongside the clothes, something that screamed to them both, 'magic carpet'.

Along the walls of the room were weapon racks that held a variety of different types of weapons, all of them bearing unique shapes and colors, but still being recognizable as swords, axes, polearms, and the like. The back of the room had what appeared to be several paintings stacked against each other, as well as a large rectangular shape covered by a brown tarp. There were several tables that had various nick-nak looking items piled on them, often with no discernable pattern. The largest table in the room was piled high with crystals that Harry recognized as Lacrimas given their identical colors. But they were all unique in shape and size with the exception of many spherical lacrima that were resting in a large basket below the table.

Edmond gasped slightly at the sight before him, as well as the feeling of being surrounded by magical signatures. It was hard to explain, but when he focused, he could barely feel the different magic types and effects from the items in the room. He would have no chance in trying to discern what they could do, but he could still tell everything inside of this room was magical to one degree or another.

"Quite the sight isn't it?" He asked rhetorically, to which both Harry and Edmond nodded. "Feel free to look around before you decide on your prize. As I stated before though, I can only allow you to take one" The mayor reiterated, Edmond nodding as he looked around, walking between various tables full of different magical items, all of their different uses unknown to the man.

The two mages walked forward into the room, being careful to not make a sound. As to the reasoning for their silence, they weren't completely sure. Perhaps the idea of waking the dead in the catacombs had crossed their minds passively.

The two started each on a different table, observing different items of interesting magical property. Harry immediately noticed that there were several swords lying about, each in different shapes and sizes, no two being similar.

Edmond, on the other hand, found himself what he guessed was the "fashion" section, as there were many different items of jewelry and light garments. He felt that these gave off a unique magical "scent" as he called it. He wondered just how strong these various trinkets might be.

"Please take your time," the mayor instructed "I am in no rush as it were, so make sure that whichever piece you chose is the right one."

"Thank you for this," Harry asked. He then noticed something a little odd about the mayor. It almost looked as if he didn't really want to enter the room, like he was staying just outside. He decided to keep a watchful eye on the mayor as he looked for his gift of choice.

Several minutes passed as they rummaged through all kinds of magical trinkets, some glowing, some shiny, some worn, some tattered. But then while he was looking through a random pile of junk as it seemed, Harry heard somebody say "over here." Harry looked towards Edmond "You say something?" Edmond looked up from where he was sorting through some stuff, but merely shrugged as he shook his head.

Right before he returned to the pile of random junk he was going through, he took notice of a large rectangle with a brown cloth over it. It immediately caught his interest as he stood up and walked towards it. "Any idea what's under this?" Harry asked the mayor.

"I'll be honest, I couldn't say really." was the mayor's simple response.

Harry shrugged. _Brown tarp over some kind of magic box in the middle of an ancient catacomb surrounded by loads of magical items_. _Guess I'll be the first to find out_. Harry reached up and pulled down the brown tarp. He coughed a little as the dust filled the air.

As the tarp collapsed on the ground, Harry witnessed before him a large set of regal looking knight armor. However its overall shape was the only part about it that looked regal, as the entire surface of the armor was covered in countless small intricate designs that had no sense or pattern to them. Many of the patterns however, were rather disturbing upon inspection, many of them depicting crude or loosely designed images of human faces in terror, animals such as Lions and Panthers eating beings that looked very much like humans, swords covered in blood, suns that looked far more violent than often represented, and much more. The actual helmet was closed, covering the occupant's face if there was one. The mask of the helmet itself was covered in a design reminiscent of a fanged monster, which Harry was focused on the most. Every design was drawn red against the silver armor beneath, every plate looking as clean as the day the armor was likely made. As Harry's eyes scanned the rest of the armor, he saw that the hands were positioned over a large sword, one that looked extremely out of place with the armor it was kept with.

The sword was jagged and curved in design, not unlike a scimitar, and was a solid black with red edges and a red handle. Every part of the sword looked very dangerous and rather unwieldy. The upper portion of the blade was much wider than the base, with a large spike formed from the edged blade that curved downwards slightly, almost as if it was a different blade that had been attached or fused to the existing sword. The whole look of the sword and armor made a chill go down Harry's spine.

"Whatcha got there?" Edmond asked, glancing over to see that the tarp of the large glass box had been removed, curiosity in his eyes.

"A creepy set of armor." Harry responded, grabbing the tarp that had dropped before. "And nothing that we want to mess with." He said with a stern expression, draping the tarp back over the glass case. As he did however, his hand brushed against the glass, a sudden electrical shock going through his arm, the small pain feelings as if something had been taken from him. Similar to a static jolt, but different. As the tarp reached the ground, now covering the box completely, Harry's mind stirred as the word 'death' seemed to suddenly go through it. He stared at the now completely covered box with the armor inside, not certain if that was his active imagination and paranoia, or was the actual armor itself.

"Something wrong?" Edmond asked Harry as he stared at the box.

Harry snapped out of his slight trance "No. No nothing at all." he responded. He looked around the room, his eyes catching something else that seemed interesting.

Edmond however was looking for something that could complete his 'look' he was currently wearing some basic clothes that consisted of a T-shirt, jeans, his belt, and of course, the black leather duster he had bought, the only really unique piece of clothing on his person. He knew he didn't need to stand out to be a good mage, but something about thinking about all of the unique outfits within fairy tail made him want to make his own, or at least make him a bit more recognizable. His current duster was now rather worn, with holes, burn marks, and even some frayed edges all courtesy of the recent battle. It wasn't completely destroyed, but it was far from new condition. He eyed a few articles of clothing, all of which had gems around certain parts, which he assumed were lacrima, but colored to compliment the clothing in question. None of these articles of clothing however truly suited him, all of them being far too bright, and some even looking straight up tacky.

"Probably not going to find anything permanent here." Edmond said to himself, picking up a rather garish looking sweater vest, that was a solid bright yellow. He placed the vest back down and saw the table that had a large collection of nick-nacks. He approached it, the faint magic he could feel from the items becoming stronger, with one in particular feeling very familiar. He searched around, going through snowglobes, books, vases, a lamp that looked suspiciously arabic, and even a silver celestial spirit key, he found the magic item that seemed to call to him. It appeared to be a broach for a jacket or hat, and it depicted a constellation that Edmond had never seen before. He wasn't much of an astronomer, but he was fairly certain that the star pattern depicted by the small bauble did not exist. Upon picking up the broach, Edmond felt something strange, as if some kind of familiar, yet unusual magic flowed within it. It almost seemed to call to him, although he couldn't imagine for what reason that might be.

"Well, I guess I've picked out what I want." Edmond said, walking back to the entrance where the mayor was waiting. The mayor observed the broach on Edmond's lapel, the older man giving the mage a nod of approval.

"It certainly looks like a fine piece, if that is indeed what you've decided on." The mayor started "although, are you sure that's all you want?" The small artifact was certainly something magical, but given its size, the mayor reasoned that giving away a second small piece wouldn't be of any harm.

Edmond nodded as he pat the broach, knocking some dust off his duster "Yep. I can't really say why for certain, but I feel like this little trinket will come in handy at some point." Harry at that point had walked up, still looking around, but seemed ready to speak to the mayor.

"And what about you Mr. Harry? Found anything that piques your interest?" Harry looked around the room for a second more, then to the pile of lacrimas in the corner.

"What about those?" he asked, curious if the mayor would let him take one of them.

The mayor hummed quietly, putting his finger up to his chin as he thought. "I could probably let all of those go if you wanted." the mayor stated, shocking Harry somewhat "They aren't doing anything here besides collecting dust I believe. Not really doing anybody any good that way."

"What are they doing here then?" Harry asked curiously, looking at the Lacrima, their dull color indicating they were barely charged, if at all.

"Not sure, as far as I know they were here before a lot of the older records were lost. They're no different from modern lacrima that I know of, in fact, they're probably a bit on the faulty side considering their age." The Mayor said, looking over at the lacrima. "Other than that, They're just standard Lacrima that anyone would have in a household appliance, with the exception that most of these are a bit bigger than most.

"Well then I'll take 'em." Harry said with a smile, thankful for the mayors generosity. He nodded, a small smile on his face in being able to satisfy the novice mage. "Although… I may need help getting all these out of here." Harry said a bit sheepishly, glancing over at the pile of Lacrima.

"I can help you with that, as well as Mr Edmond here, but I'm afraid I can't involve any of the other villagers with our little excursion tonight. I do hope you both understand that." He said, and both wizards nodded. "Good! Right then, why don't we start hauling these off…" He said, going over to the table of Lacrimas and grabbing a large rough-spun sack, beginning to fill it up with Lacrima. Harry and Edmond both sound sacks of similar size and began to fill them up as well.

* * *

The Lacrimas were eventually deposited on the old couch within the living room of the run down house that Edmond and Harry were calling home. The mayor had helped a great deal, and even though all three bags they had carried were heavy, they did not require a second trip to get them all.

"Well… that's done." Edmond said, wiping his forehead a bit, having tread through the early night with a bag laden with magical crystals, he was thoroughly whooped, along with Harry and the Mayor. The mayor had left after dropping the bag off, allowing the two friends to deposit them all onto the couch.

"Thanks for that. This'll give me a great start on what I'm planning." Harry said, looking at the lacrimas with a mix of excited anticipation and dread. Edmond nodded, and then looked at Harry curiously.

"What exactly are you planning? To become Iron man or something?" Harry responded by glancing away for a moment before nodding. Edmond's jaw hung open a bit as the over-enchant mage said this, a bit stunned at the open admission.

"I mean, think about it, my magic allows me to enchant basically anything onto anything else, and I've already managed to make my own Mark 1. I don't really see why I can't just… keep going with that motif." Harry's reasoning made sense to Edmond, as he personally couldn't think of anyone within the canon that used armors extensively besides Erza, and even then, those types of armors were always very focused and often very gimmicky. Not that they weren't powerful, but he couldn't place an armor that was capable of doing everything that Tony Stark's was capable of doing.

"Yea, that makes sense. But won't that take some time?" He asked, and Harry rolled his eyes at the question.

"Of course it will. That's why I'm going to stay here and build my armor while you can go and join Fairy Tail. I know you want to." Harry replied, and Edmond seemed at a loss, definitely wanting to join fairy tail and become a part of canon and see what he could do to improve the outcomes of the arcs, but at the same time, he did not want to leave his friend by himself.

"But then you'll be by yourself, and I'm the one with all the foreknowledge here! I mean, at the least you could stay in magnolia for that time and then join the guild." Edmond defended, hoping he could at least convince his friend to come to magnolia. Harry shook his head, looking at his friend with a slightly mournful expression.

"Do you think magnolia has an abandoned house just lying around? Or that the guild master is going to let me stay in the guild's basement until I can finish my suit? I don't think so." Harry said, a sigh escaping his lips. "Listen Edmond, I want to learn how this world works before I go jumping into the deep end here, maybe you should too. Just because you have foreknowledge doesn't mean there aren't things that you've forgotten or that are different here. This isn't some show anymore man, its life for us." Harry's words seemed to strike a cord with Edmond, but Edmond also wasn't sure if Harry was completely right. He wouldn't know until he encounters a proper arc.

"Are you sure? I mean, we could always rent a place and room just like we did before we uh… died." Edmond offered, but once again Harry shook his head.

"Here I have plenty of room to work, and I won't be bothering you either. Trust me Edmond, I'll be fine." Harry said, attempting to reassure his friend. Edmond was reluctant, and paused for a few moments but nodded nonetheless, allowing his trust in his friend to outweigh his desire to keep him from getting hurt.

* * *

The next morning came peacefully, or at least as peacefully as one would expect with a dragonslayer breaking into your room.

"I said I was sorry." Natsu grumbled, half of his face swollen courtesy of Lucy when the pink-haired pyromaniac had burst into her room as she changed, shouting about how it was time to 'get up and grab some grub'. Happy patted Natsu's head in a manner to attempt to comfort the dragonslayer, but that only made Lucy more irritated.

"Would you two stop! How do you expect me to react when you break through a locked door while I change!" Lucy practically screamed, still doing up her hair.

"It was open though." Natsu defended, and Happy couldn't help but shake his head.

"Really Lucy, you shouldn't leave your door open, who knows who might come in and find you bathing or something." Happy scolded with a smug look, the celestial spirit mage promptly throwing a sandal at his face.

"Man, Lucy's extra violent today." Natsu said, watching as his blue-furred friend went flying to the wall from the sandal.

"I'm not extra violent, you two are being extra irritating!" Lucy exclaimed, thinking that it was far too early to be dealing with their antics at the moment. This was the first time that she had spent the night at an actual civilized place with the fire-breather, and was honestly not taking to his extremely naive ways. Once she was finally done, they left the inn and made their way to the town hall to meet with the mayor and collect their reward. It was a short walk, and on their way several people around the town waved and thanked them for their help, Lucy being rather happy about the praise. Natsu seemed to shrug it off, mostly focused on walking to the town hall.

Once they reached it, they found that the Mayor and Edmond were already there, apparently conversing, but once the two members of Fairy tail arrived, they shifted their attention to them. They were currently sitting by a large table left in the lobby, Edmond waved them over.

"Good morning to you two. I trust you had a good night?" the mayor asked, earning nods from the guild mages. "Excellent. So, I know i did not exactly entail the exact reward, but I believe I have come up with a substantial sum that you might agree on?" The mayor's question made Lucy and Natsu look at each other before they shrugged.

"Just tell us your offer I guess." Lucy offered, a nervous smile on her face. The mayor nodded, grabbing a small slip of paper from his pocket.

"Would 580,000 jewls be enough to compensate yo-" The mayor began, but was cut off as Lucy suddenly grabbed the slip from his hand.

"Yes! Most definitely!" Lucy exclaimed, Natsu's and Happy's jaw attempting to hit the floor in the process. Edmond blinked a few times, and after a few calculations, whistled aloud. _Thats about 5,800 dollars right there. A bit low considering the risks in my opinion, but I doubt they're complaining. _Edmond thought, watching as the mayor chuckled at their reactions. Natsu seemed to be the first of the two that recovered, and shot Edmond a happy grin.

"So Edmond, Did you decide on joining Fairy Tail?" He asked, his roguish grin indicating he wasn't just excited about having another member of the guild, but also having another sparring partner. Edmond hummed as he considered the question, and his mind went back to the night before, when he and Harry had discussed this very thing after moving all of the lacrimas. _He said it was fine, but I still feel like I shouldn't just leave him here. _He thought to himself, still unsure how he should answer. Eventually though, he made up his mind.

"Yes, and I'm coming with you." Emond said, a surprising amount of determination in his voice. "I think… that if I'm going to get stronger and master my abilities, I need to be a part of a guild to do so." He said, his reasoning being good enough for the two guild mages, Natsu's expression becoming much more lively.

"Hell yea!" Natsu exclaimed, a small burst of fire coming from his mouth. "You're going to love it there!" He said, a genuine smile on his face, giving the novice a thumbs up. Lucy sighed and repeated the sentiment as well, giving him an encouraging look. "There's just one thing I want in return." Natsu said, a slightly more predatory grin on his face. Lucy looked at him with slight curiosity and annoyance, while Edmond raised his eyebrow. "Once you join, I want to fight you, to see how strong your magic really is!" Edmond shouldn't have been surprised, but for some odd reason he was, and was incredibly anxious about fighting Natsu. However, this was also a chance to see if he could still take on a magical heavyweight.

"Count me in." Edmond said, matching Natsu's grin with his own, the two mages swiftly gaining a great sense of anticipation for when they return to the guild hall.

"Geez, do you always have to fight everyone that comes to the guild?" Lucy asked with unhidden exasperation, making Happy shrug from his place floating near her.

"That's Natsu for ya." Happy said, making the mayor laugh good-naturedly, and Edmond to chuckle, himself a bit nervous about the prospect of battling the 'protagonist' of Fairy Tail, but not willing to just give up on trying.

* * *

Fortunately for Edmond, he didn't have much in the way of belongings to gather to take to Magnolia with him. Or rather unfortunately, depending on how you look at it. This meant that when it was time for him to gather his things, he didn't have a whole lot of packing he needed to do. In fact, the only real belongings he had were the clothes he was wearing and the backpack he bought for his trip to Magnolia the first time.

"Hey now, don't hurt yourself." Harry said, pointing out Edmond's lightly packed gear.

"Only pack what you absolutely need," Edmond responded "I know for a fact that you need to take that seriously when traveling." He then recalled a certain S-class wizard's tendency to travel with...a lot more than one would need, to put it mildly. That thought made him chuckle quietly, imagining seeing that sight in person for real.

"Well, it's not like you've got a whole lot to your name right now." Harry responded with an oddly 'matter of fact' tone. "I mean hell, the only things you've technically got to your name right now are a dusty backpack and a tattered duster."

"Don't forget magic lapel brooch." Edmond interjected, the correction bringing to light an admittedly small elephant in the room.

"What do you suppose that thing's supposed to do?" Harry asked, now focused on the trinket on Edmond's person "Why even pick that one up specifically?"

Edmond shrugged, "I know this might sound weird, but when I found it, it felt almost like it was calling out to me, like it was somehow mine already and it knew."

Harry stared at the ground for a short moment then looked back at Edmond "I don't know. Given what kind of world we live in, I wouldn't consider something 'calling out to you' particularly trustworthy" Of course, Harry had a point, as usual. Edmond, again, as usual, didn't suspect that there was anything to worry about though.

"I'm certain if it was anything dangerous I would be able to tell pretty easily," He said, attempting to reassure Harry while patting the trinket on his lapel, which drew Harry's attention elsewhere.

Harry observed Edmond's duster that he had got a few days ago brand new, and how it looked as if it belonged to a war veteran "Also, wasn't that thing brand new as of a few days ago?" Harry asked, gesturing at Edmond's overwear.

Edmond looked down at his tattered coat. Harry was right, his coat had definitely seen better days. And yet "I don't know, I kinda like it somehow." He remarked "Kinda makes me look like some kind of grizzled old badass wizard dude." And after saying that, the image of yet another powerful mage shot through his mind, although he didn't expect he'd see that wizard for some time yet. "But you're right. Maybe I'll get a new one somewhere down the road."

"Didn't you pay a lot of money for that thing?" Harry asked, which made Edmond's stomach curl a bit.

"...yea" Harry rose an eyebrow, his inquisitive and rather scrutinizing gaze locked to Edmond's jacket.

"You do the same thing with all the nice things you own, you know that right?" Harry stated plainly, having witnessed his friend destroy, tear up, or overwork new clothes, vehicles, games, and the like in at least the first week of owning them.

"I don't! At least, not all the time." Edmond denied, a bit sheepishly at the end. Harry, deciding not to push the issue, moved on.

"Just don't go bankrupting yourself because of clothes." Harry said, Edmond nodding hesitantly, himself unsure if he would be able to help that. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me about the Canon Story that might be of importance?" Harry inquired, looking over the rather large pile of Lacrimas that he now owned, thinking of the best way to incorporate them into what he wanted.

"Not really, not until I know where exactly we are in the timeline." Edmond said plainly, watching as Harry nodded while still examining the Lacrimas.

"Makes sense I suppose, hopefully I'll be done with my next set of armor before long." Harry said, tapping one of the lacrimas, giving Edmond a positive look, Edmond mirroring it. "Its still kinda crazy isn't it? Living in a world of magic and guilds and… well, whatever other fantasy aspects this place might have." Harry asked, thinking back to before they had ever come to earthland, and how coming here was like a new, very strange, start for them.

"There are a few others, but the ones you mentioned are the biggest." Edmond added. "There are other things like… Demons." At this, Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Like… Biblical Demons or..?"

"Not quite, they're more just, beings that use darkness magic and are sometimes sentient. I can't remember if they specifically ever identified what made a demon a demon, but you'll know one if you see one. Some can be friendly so don't freak out." Edmond explained as best he could, Harry taking his friend's word for it, but hoping that he never encountered a 'Demon'

"Alright. I'll… keep that in mind." Harry said, wondering if the fact that demons existed in this world led to any other implications. _We aren't in hell are we? _Harry suddenly thought, the implication making his stomach churn before he realized that such a fact was impossible, as he had yet to be subjected to eternal torment.

"Well, i guess It's time to leave then…" Edmond said, hesitantly grabbing his bag, and heading towards the door.

"Good luck man, I'll see you later." Harry said casually, waving to his friend, who waved back, Edmond soon finding his feet out the door and onto the roads of Ginville, where he had agreed to meet Natsu, Lucy and Happy before they set off back to Magnolia. A certain excitement filled his chest as he thought about returning to Fairy Tail, meeting everyone there, and becoming an official member, the life he could have only dreamed of, now becoming a reality. And just like that, his worry for Harry was replaced by a giddy excitement.

* * *

"So Edmond, you excited about joining Fairy Tail?" The spiky-haired dragon slayer asked the lad in question. They had only started their journey back to magnolia several moments ago, and it was obvious the dragon slayer didn't intend on taking the long journey in silence.

"Am I ever, Natsu!" Edmond explained. He was practically jumping at this new development in his life, the guild and it's story an inspiration to him throughout many personal trials back in his old life. Both inspiring himself to be better, and to help anyone he could along the way. After all, it was what he always wanted to do.

"He does seem awfully chipper right now" Happy pointed out as Edmond practically skipped along the path, his tattered trench coat dropping what looked like ash dust from the fire damage strewn about it.

"You're going to love it Edmond." Lucy bragged "Fairy Tail's a great place. It feels just like one big family there!" Lucy herself was getting pretty excited with the idea of a new member joining the guild, despite her concerns about the Cosmic Mage. She had been wary, and was still largely curious about the mage, but seeing him in action firsthand had helped to put her mind at ease of any potential wrong she thought he might want to do.

"Totally! We've got good food, good fights, great company. What's not to love?" Natsu bragged again about the Fairy Tail family. Lucy chuckled nervously at that, hoping that Edmond wouldn't think Fairy Tail was obsessed with fighting, even if it was partially true.

Edmond couldn't contain his excitement anymore than he was already trying, And failing, to. "_Just imagine how lucky I am_," He began thinking "_Just one little… car accident... and now I'm hanging out with two of the protagonists from one of my most favorite shows of all time." _However, he suddenly slowed his pace as he thought of something that upset him.

"Hey, something wrong?" Natsu asked, noticing the slowed pace of Edmond.

"Oh nothing really." Edmond said. He was, of course, not telling the complete truth, as his concern for his friend didn't completely waver. Even if he was certain Harry would be fine on his own.

"If you're sure" Natsu said, shrugging, the dragon slayer rather easily dropping the subject. Lucy sighed, having a clue as to why Edmond had spaced out.

"Is it because your friend didn't come along?" Lucy asked sympathetically, to which Edmond froze up slightly. _I figured as much. _Lucy thought to herself, reading Edmond's body language easily. She wasn't sure how to feel about the situation really given she was a neutral party, which only made her feel awkward for pointing the cause of Edmond's unease.

"Why didn't he want to come again?" Happy asked, having forgotten exactly the reason the other mage hadn't joined their group.

"Because he doesn't think he's ready." Edmond answered quickly, the flying cat tilting his head in a doubting manner. "Its his choice really, so I'm Not going to pressure him or anything." Edmond said, which made Lucy smile at him cheerily.

"Thats a good thing Edmond." Lucy supported, Edmond glancing at her with a thankful smile. "Sounds to me that he's just still new to magic, and isn't comfortable with joining a guild. Maybe he isn't comfortable with meeting new people or something?" Lucy offered, still unsure, not really knowing Edmond's friend, and thus only offering what she could.

"He seemed pretty capable though." Happy muttered, remembering the armored mage that had helped Natsu and those kids from earlier. "Lucy must have scared him away."

"No I didn't you stupid cat!" Lucy exclaimed, swiping at the feline, but the blue furred cat merely flew higher out of reach.

"Does he always tease you like this?" Edmond asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Believe it or not, it used to be worse." Lucy deadpanned, making Edmond wince a bit, his mind wondering just how much the anime left out when it came to character interactions. _I gotta remember, these are real people. There are bound to be countless small details and things that are never mentioned, or were never even thought of. Best not to think about it too much to myself, lest I go crazy. Remember Edmond, adventure and magic! _Edmond thought, refocusing his thoughts as they continued, Clover town coming into view as the forest around them opened up. And thankfully, or un-thankfully in Natsu's case, the railroad was fixed.

* * *

Arriving back in magnolia and walking towards the guild hall for a second time, allowed him to take in the buildings, layout, and people of the town better, seeing how a few of them waved to Natsu and Lucy in recognition, while most simply glanced their way and carried on with their day. Despite Fairy Tail being perhaps one of the most recognizable guilds in Fiore, the residents of Magnolia seemed very comfortable with the members of Fairy Tail, used to their presence on a daily basis. He wondered what other kinds of people he could meet in the city that were never explored or mentioned, and what other details he could run across.

They neared the guild building, and seeing it a second time did not diminish its grandeur, Edmond slowing down to take in as many details as he could, now noticing there seemed to be a few patched pieces of the roof, and a few non-treated scuff and burn marks on the cobblestones just outside of the guild itself. Things he noticed that could never be replicated in animation or manga drawings, but instead only things that could exist in detailed paintings, writing, or of course, in the real world.

Lucy and Natsu had noticed his slow pace, quickly tracking their new companion's eyes as he scanned the guild building, smiling in slight pride that he was so enamored with it. While Lcuy was content to let him stare, Natsu only saw this as more of an excuse for him to get through the doors.

"C'mon! Times a wastin'!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly, rushing behind Edmond before he could react and began pushing him towards the guild doors. Lucy giggled as Edmond struggled, the strength of the dragonslayer proved too great as he was shoved through the doors.

Rather than a rambunctious guild or straight up bar fight, everything seemed to be relatively calm as Edmond looked over the interior. He quickly spotted nearly every named member of the guild.

The first member he spotted was Elfman Strauss, the large, white-haired man sticking out within the building like a sore thumb. He was easily the tallest in the guild, standing nearly 6'6 easily. His skin was a tan color, clearly a result of the sun rather than a natural skin tone, and his left eye had a large stitch scar that ran from his eye into his hairline. Sitting across from him at the table he was at, was the infamous brunette, Cana Alberona, along with a literal barrel of what Edmond could only assume was beer, and wearing nothing but a thick Blue bikini top(barely containing what was within) with red loose pants that only went down to her knees. Elfman seemed to be saying something to her, but the idle chatter of the rest of the guild drowned it out.

The next person he spotted was of course Mirajane, wearing the same dress he had seen her in the first time he arrived in the guild, her stark white hair pointing to her identity despite the fact her back was currently turned away from them, cleaning by a sink. Sitting on the counter she was behind, however, was the dictionary definition of 'dwarf jester'. The guild master of Fairy Tail was currently reading a magazine with the title 'sorcerer weekly', his smiley face staff tucked into his arm as he sat and read. Edmond had not seen Makarov's original design in years since he first started watching the show, and felt genuinely surprised at seeing him in the getup. That didn't stop him from noticing that a certain armored redhead was sitting next to him, a fork in her mouth as Erza Scarlet enjoyed some strawberry cake. Edmond gulped nervously, as even if he wasn't even a part of the guild, and had done the woman no wrong, there was a certain primal fear he got from looking at her. Nothing overwhelming, but it made him cautious.

He spotted all of team shadowgear at a separate table, Levy McGarden studying a book intently, her blue hair and small stature making her easily recognizable, as well as the two goofballs that followed her around constantly, both chowing down on plates of food. Jet and Droy looked just as Edmond thought they would, completely over their heads and overconfident. He scanned to see if he could spot Gajeel considering he would later join the guild, but then remembered the guildhall's state, and notably the fact that it wasn't a wreck or being rebuilt.

As he scanned the hall briefly, he spotted a few more familiar faces, that of Macao Conbolt and Wakaba Mine. Although he was a little surprised at seeing Macao, as it had been some time since Edmond saw him without his mustache that he had forgotten he never had one. Wakaba, on the other hand, didn't seem that much different despite just looking a few years younger.

_Based on what I can see here though,_ Edmond started thinking to himself, _we can't be that far into the actual storyline. This is the very first guild hall introduced in the show, which must mean-_

"There you are." Edmond's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice coming from right beside them at the doorway. He was all too familiar with it as well. "About time you got back ash-for-brains." Natsu took particular offence to this, and immediately got into the ice mage's face

Edmond had been curious as to the whereabouts of Gray since he arrived at the guild the first time. It wasn't often he wasn't on one of the jobs himself. He was a rather lean, but still muscular looking man, having already lost his shirt somewhere, but mercifully still wearing a pair loose black pants, displaying the black guild mark on his upper chest. He had dark hair and eyes, and his face was currently contorted into a slight scowl as Natsu approached. "Oh yea? And what've you been doing this whole time, blizzard breath, because I've been out kicking butt!" Natsu retorted with a triumphant grin, Lcuy sighing tiredly.

"Yea? Well you certainly took your time with it then, because it sure took you long enough." As they argued back and forth, Edmond watched them butt heads with each other, remembering several encounters like this from the show. Of course, he wanted it to seem as though he wasn't familiar with this, so he leaned over to Lucy slowly to ask her a question "Are they always like this?" He asked the blond, who sighed loudly.

"Usually." Lucy sighed "It's actually kind of funny. There are rare occasions where they actually seem like good buddies, but this is definitely something you'll have to get used to." Happy added a helpful, but also tired 'aye.' to Lcuy's statement.

Edmond chuckled internally a little at that. He remembered in the anime how often they would argue and get at each other's throats, but yet seem like close pals at times. But he then remembered something very important "Oh wait, don't you guys need to go turn in that job?"

Lucy's eyes then went wide as she remembered, frustrated that Natsu and Gray's fight distracted them from the important stuff "We need to go see Mira right away." She added, then made way for the bar where Mira was working.

As they approached, Edmond noticed Makarov sitting contently. He was curious if the guild leader had already noticed his presence in the guild hall, or if Edmond hadn't made himself very present. Something he felt very familiar with back home. Shaking his mind of memories threatening to come up, Edmond strode forward with the busty blonde.

"Ah. Lucy, you and Natsu are back." Makarov greeted, casually flipping through the pages of the magazine, glancing over at the pink-haired boy who was still bickering with his rival. "I understand that the quest was verbal only, while not exactly a smiled upon form of giving jobs, its still valid, now if you would, give me your report, I'll take care of it this time Mira." Makarov's last statement was given to the barmaid behind him, who smiled appreciatively. Lucy nodded, handing him a piece of paper that detailed the reward, the reward money itself, and verbally told Makarov of how the quest went. Edmond remained silent, but whenever he was mentioned and Makarov would look at him, he would often try his best to nod or reinforce what Lucy was saying. Natsu and Gray eventually came up behind Edmond and Lucy, Natsu and Happy adding their two cents as hey described the fight with Erigor and the subsequent rescue of Harry. Erza was also listening, but was content to just listening.

"Well. Normally I would be a little cross about taking a job so carelessly, but given the nature, the fact that you have all returned safely, and the appropriate reward… I'll let it slide." Makaroiv said, pocketing the paper, and the small percentage that the guild took from every completed job. "Now… What about you young man? You were the one that gave the quest, even if indirectly, so why are you here?" Makarov asked, turning his attention to Edmond, upon doing so, the cosmic mage could feel the eyes of those around him upon him. Even Erza had turned an inquisitive gaze at him. Edmodn couldn't help but freeze up, suddenly having the spotlight on him.

"Uh… I'd like… I'd…" Edmond struggled, his nervousness growing as he felt blood rush to his face, being surrounded by such legendary characters definitely making explaining himself difficult. He looked to Lucy, who recognized his nervousness, and was about to help him, herself not having so much attention on her when she first joined. Thankfully, Natsu was there to his rescue.

"He wants to join Fairy Tail!" Natsu said, wrapping a friendly hug around Edmond's shoulder, giving Makarov a winning smile. Any previous curious or scrutinizing gazes were practically gone in that same instance, with Makarov imitating Natsu's smile.

"Well why didn't you say so first?" Makarov said with a slight laugh as Edmond deflated, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"S-Sorry, I get a little nervous sometimes." Edmond explained, with Makarov laughing a bit. Erza smiled softly as she finished her cake, with Gray giving a small chuckle as well. Lucy gave Edmond a supporting smile as Mira came over with a small stamp-like device.

"I had a feeling that you'd be coming back." Mira said with a knowing smile, the white-haired beauty presenting the device. "This will imprint a magical guild symbol onto your skin, and will identify yourself as a Fairy Tail Mage, do you have an idea of where you want it?" She asked curiously, and Emdond already knowing how it worked, had been thinking about the location for some time now.

Edmond thought for a moment, wondering where a good spot might be. "Between the shoulderblades." He said, and he took off his duster and shirt to let Mira apply the mark, which she did promptly.

"So, what kind of magic do you use?" Gray asked, watching Edmond get his new guild mark. Edmond nodded and held out his hand where wisps of cosmic energy danced, before creating a small knife in his hand. Gray's eyes widened, as even though he had never witnessed this magic before, he could tell what kind of magic it was.

"It's called cosmic make, I only recently started working with it, but so far, I think I've done pretty good so far." Edmond stated, Gray humming as he watched the knife dissipate into nothingness. Natsu then gave Edmond a wicked grin, and while he hadn't actually interacted with him for long, he knew what that look meant.

"Yea, but I think we should all see it in action!" Nastu declared loudly, causing a majority of the guild members to look towards their pyromaniac friend. "You told me you would fight me when we got to Fairy Tail, and now you're a member." Gray sighed, also knowing what this meant. "So C'mon, lets fight!" Edmond knew this would most likely not end in his favor, but he honestly wanted to test his strength against the dragon slayer, and so he adopted a confident grin to match Natsu's.

"Yes I did promise you a fight, and since I'm a part of the guild, there's no reason for me to not partake… Let's do this." Edmond said, allowing a few sips of magical energy to escape from his legs and feet, giving him a slight dramatic flare in the same way that embers seemed to form around Natsu. The two of them raring to test their strength.

"Here we go again." Lucy said with a sigh. Happy shrugging at the unnecessarily dramatic display.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Welp… another one! Finally… but with life finally getting a little more normal, we have managed to release yet another chapter of this tale. We are definitely continuing this story, but unfortunately life often gets in the way. Hoping the next one doesn't take as long. **

**Now that Edmond has joined Fairy Tail, you can expect the adventures to pick up a little, with the next arc being Phantom Lord. Harry will eventually join, and will be there for the next arc, but to keep with his character, we're keeping him separate until the arc begins. Won't be long, but yea. Anyways! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I will let my co-author take over the rest of the notes. **

**Hey guys, Black_Hawk931 again!**

**Super stoked to finally be wrapping up the first arc of this story, and I'm definitely excited for what we have in store. With the introductory storyline out of the way, I feel like we can now get to the stuff I think will be really exciting!**

**Anyways, I hope that you all are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it with Strongraider. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in a review. It seriously helps us out, and if nothing else we love reading all your feedback and thoughts. Anyway, looking forward to the future of this story. Stay safe, and as always…**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7- Fighting Fairies, and

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**Fighting Fairies and Excellent Exposition**

Natsu and Edmond were both getting excited for the fight, several members of the guild taking note of this, two in particular. Before the fire dragonslayer could react, a giant hand enclosed around him, crushing him as he struggled, the fire around his body being snuffed out almost comically easily. Emond was confused for a moment before he realized who had done that, and quickly glanced at Makarov to see that indeed, the old man's hand had been stretched out and expanded to encompass Natus's form. A brief panic attack seized him, wondering if he was next, but it never came, instead, he felt what was equivalent to a metal vice grip on his left shoulder.

"And you two are going to take it outside, away from the guild, correct?" While she was speaking behind him, and so couldn't get a good look at her face, the tone of voice was enough to make Edmond freeze, especially considering it was Erza that had his shoulder in her hand. She sounded almost exactly like her english VA, albeit she was at least an octave lower at the moment.

"Yes ma'am!" Edmond practically screamed, fear instilled into him just by her mere words, and the promise of punishment in her tone. The grip on his shoulder was released, and Emond dared to look behind him to see a stone-faced Erza as she nodded stiffly.

"Good. Don't destroy any public property and don't cause trouble for others, besides that, you two are free to spar." Erza said with finality, her tone being completely serious as Makarov let go of Natsu. Edmond blinked. _That was easier than I thought. _He thought to himself, rubbing the shoulder that Erza had a harsh grip on.

"Hey! How come I'm the one that got squeezed!?" Natsu yelled indignantly while glaring at Makarov.

"Because you should know better." Makarov answered, opening one of his eyes at the fire mage. Edmond then realized that the guild master had stopped Natsu dead in his tracks with his eyes literally closed. "Edmond gets a stern warning. If he becomes a problem like you do when it comes to destroying property..." Makraove then opened the other to gaze at Edmond with a relatively neutral gaze. "Then he'll be treated the same." He said with a cheery smile, none of it giving Edmond a better feeling about the upcoming fight. "But before anything else…would you give us a demonstration of your magic?" Makrov asked with curiosity, Edmond smirking a bit at the chance to show off his magic.

"Gramps! Why don't you come watch the fight! Then you'll get a real demonstration!" Natsu offered, interrupting Edmond before he could respond.

"I'm rather content with being right here. Now, how about that demonstration?" Makrov asked again, Natsu grumbling impatiently as he crossed his arms. Edmond nodded, holding out his hands in his signature stance, his palms open, and on top of one another. Gray observed with slightly wide eyes, the stance Edmond used being eerily reminiscent of the one he was taught.

"Just to reiterate, I use Cosmic Make magic, which allows me to form cosmic energy into nearly anything I desire." Edmond said with confidence as a swirling tendril of cosmic energy surrounded his outstretched hands. "**Cosmic Make! Whip!**" Edmond proclaimed, the small tendril quickly growing in size considerably, and becoming more defined into the shape of a classic bullwhip. Makarov nodded in satisfaction while Gray frowned a bit at the display. Erza watched the whip with a bit of interest, the unknown magic getting her attention.

"Hmm well, I've never heard of that form of maker magic, but it seems that we now have three of them in the guild now." Makarov said casually, Edmond dismissing the whip easily. Gray seemed to be about to say something, his mouth open and nearly speaking before his salmon-haired rival spoke first.

"Alright! He's shown off his magic! Come on, we can go to the beach to fight!" Natsu yelled, making Edmond shift his focus back to the fire mage. Makarov said nothing, but instead grabbed a mug of beer from somewhere inside the bar and took a long sip. "Last one there's a rotten egg!" He cried playfully before he took off towards the door. Happy quickly following.

"Hey! No fair! You were closer to the door!" Edmond yelled as he gave chase. Soon enough both him and Natsu had raced out of the guild building leaving Lucy and Gray to watch their backs with exasperation and annoyance respectfully. Erza seemed non-pulsed by the two, and merely hummed as she walked over to the job board. Gray seemed a bit annoyed at being interrupted, but deemed what he was going to say unimportant for the time being.

"I better make sure they don't do anything stupid." Lucy said, rubbing the back of her head as she began to walk towards the door.

"When it comes to Natsu, do you expect anything less?" Gray asked with a snicker, Lucy chuckled as he said this.

"You have a point there." Lucy said as she left through the doors into the daylight.

* * *

Harry hummed as he read a particular book as he and the three kids from the Erigor's hideout rode a train to their hometown. The book was titled '_Wizards, and what makes them' _It was in all honesty what Harry should have picked up first when going to the Library on the first day. However his priorities then were different, now it was merely trying to decipher the world at large, and what it meant to be a wizard. He had already made good progress in that endeavor with this simple book.

The book described how all magic required a specialized energy called ethernano. It was essentially this world's version of 'mana' or 'magic energy'. People still referred to ethernano in such terms, but ethernano was more or less it's scientific name. The energy was also apparently present in all living organisms and throughout the atmosphere, with mages having greater wells or 'containers' of ethernano within them. Lacrimas are a specialized form of crystal that can be naturally found or artificially made from stone or brick and raw ethernano given crystal form. Lacrimas, despite essentially being made from partially raw energy, when it is formed into a solid, it stays that way. Harry wasn't a physicist, but that didn't make scientific sense to him, but at the same time, it was literally magic energy. He felt a small body shift against him with a murmur, he ignored it as he continued to read.

"What are you reading Mr. Harry?" Madison suddenly asked, sitting across from him with a curious expression. They had been in comfortable silence for the past hour or so on the ride, with the two younger ones having decided to take a nap. The three of them were all dressed in much better clothing, and were cleaned up, all thanks to the Mayor and his secretary and providing them all with the essentials before they were sent back to their hometown. Something that Harry had insisted on assisting them with.

"A book about wizards, and how they function. I only recently acquired my magic so… I have some catching up to do." Harry explained, looking away from the book and seeing Madison, who currently had Sally on her lap, the little girl fast asleep. Against his left side, Jake was leaned against him, having fallen asleep while trying to read a newspaper and trying to sneak glances at his book.

"I see." Madison said, looking back out the window. "We should be there shortly." She said, watching as familiar scenery passed her by, having rode by this scenery many times in her life. Harry nodded absentmindedly, also looking over at the window, watching as mountains passed them by.

"Good, then we'll be able to get you home, and you can relax in your own bed." Harry said, Madison nodding happily to that. Two more minutes passed as they sat on the train, Harry returning to his book and madison absentmindedly rubbing her sister's head before they finally arrived. The train came to a smooth stop allowing the passengers to disembark, Harry and Madison gently waking the two younger siblings before they got off the train and onto the platform.

"We're home…" Sally said wistfully, almost as if she couldn't believe it, but also infinitely relieved by that fact. They were standing on the small platform of the rather bare railroad station that Tuly town owned. They could easily see nearly half the town just from where they were standing. The train behind them soon started again, and began making its way towards it's next stop as the four of them began making their way into town.

Jake was practically beaming as he looked at the town, running ahead a bit, but not straying from the dirt road as they made their way further in. Madison briefly called for him to stick close, but seemed to give up upon seeing his ecstatic face. Soon their presence was noticed by others walking down streets or attending to market stands.

"Is that… Jake?" An older man attending to a stand of vegetables asked, his face full of shock as he looked at the eleven year old run down the street.

"Mr. Gally!" Jake said happily, seeing a familiar face making the boy even happier somehow. Madison and Sally gravitated towards the man as well, Harry following suit soon after.

"I can hardly believe it, how on earth did you three get away from Erigor!? Your parents have been worried sick!" Mr Gally said with a mix of worry, relief, and anxiousness, something that Harry could pick up on, and easily tell that they had some kind of history together, most likely a friend of the family. That was around about when he noticed Harry there, and eyed him with a curious look. "And who are you?" Before Harry could respond, Sally answered for him.

"This is Mr Harry! He saved us from Erigor!" She said both with happiness and absolute confidence, seemingly with no doubts about her statement, despite the fact that multiple mages had been involved in their rescue.

"Really?" Gally asked with wide eyes, making Harry rub the back of his head with his right hand while keeping his book in his left hand.

"Well there were actually a few others involved, two Fairy Tail wizards, and a friend of mine who should be a member of Fairy Tail by now himself." He said with a slight smile, and Gally looked rather pleased as he heard that, before a bitter frown crossed his features.

"Fairy Tail huh? Yknow, one of those wizards came by here roughly a month ago and destroyed our precious clock tower! Of course… he also got rid of a band of thieves… but still! The collateral damage was terrible!" Gally exclaimed, pointing over to a nearby hill, where Harry could just barely see the remains of a cylindrical structure, and what was indeed a clock face, now unmoving, on the ground by the ruined tower.

"I… see." Harry said with a bit of annoyance, as even from this distance, he could see burn marks across parts of the tower, his mind telling him a certain dragonslayer was responsible for this.

"But nevermind that! You've brought these three back to us! Please, you should get them home as soon as possible. Their parents should know." Gally said with a bit of urgency, prompting the four of them to continue down the dirt path. They encountered a few others that recognized the three kids, but after a brief interaction, they allowed them to continue on towards where the sibling's parents lived.

Soon they came upon what was most likely one of the more moderately sized homes in the town, situated with a rather nice garden in front. Upon first laying their eyes upon it, each one of the kids had practically dashed towards the door. Harry took his time as he smiled watching them run. They knocked on the door, yelling that they were there. It took only a few seconds before the front door was nearly ripped off its hinges by a near hysterically emotional mother, and upon seeing her kids, just about broke down, the warmth from the ensuing group hug was so present, even Harry could feel it.

"Oh my babies! You've come home!" Harry could hear their mother cry that to them, all of them holding onto her tight. Then she pulled back and looked over them with a much more worried look. "Are any of you hurt? What did they do to you?"

"We're okay mom." Madison responded mostly calmly, but still with tears in her eyes. Their mother went from worriedly checking over them to breathing a sigh of relief and looking at their faces, her own having a large smile on her face. Then she looked up and past them, noticing Harry, who was a respectful distance away. She seemed confused by his presence, and a bit put off. "Oh, mom, this is Mr Harry, he helped free us from Erigor." The woman looked a little surprised, and before Harry could introduce himself, the woman came up to him rather quickly, pulling him into a hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" The woman cried in thanks, tightly hugging Harry, squeezing the life out of him with surprisingly strong arms.

"N-No need to… thank me." Harry said between breaths, genuinely struggling to catch his breath from the pressure behind the embrace. Mercifully, she released him, and looked him over before nodding to herself.

"Well, don't just stand there, come in, please, you're our guest." She said, grabbing his wrist and leading him inside. Harry protested, but did not necessarily resist as she dragged him to the door.

"I don't want to impose on you all, I just wanted to be sure these three got home safely." Harry said, also silently worried about missing his train. The woman ushering him inside merely shook her head.

"You won't impose at all, and besides, you saved my children, how else am I to thank you than to offer you dinner?" She asked, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Sally and Jake had both already filtered inside, but Madison was waiting by the door with a muffled giggle. Harry noticed something about their mother that he had not seen before. There were dark circles and bags under her eyes, things that were often synonymous with signs of stress, lack of sleep, and general worry. Harry did not resist anymore as he was led inside.

* * *

"All right! Lets get this fight started!" Natsu exclaimed, his adrenaline already pumping at the prospect of fighting Fairy Tail's newest member. Him and Edmond were standing a few feet apart, standing on the beach of the sea, both prepping before the fight. Edmond took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for the coming test of strength. _Or asswhoping, I mean, that's an entirely possible outcome as well. _Edmond thought somewhat sadly to himself. Nevertheless, this would at least be a good experience. "You ready rotten egg?" He said with a mischievous grin, calling Edmond that considering he had been the last one there.

"Hehe. I don't think he's the rotten egg anymore." Happy snickered as Natsu looked confused, before looking to where the blue-haired cat was looking, and a smug grin crossed his face.

"What are those two laughing about?" Lucy suddenly asked, coming up to them from the side. Edmond sighed as he had a pretty good suspicion as to why.

"Oh nothing, just the rotten egg, after all, you were the last one after Edmond." Natsu said with a smug smile, Lucy giving him and Happy a deadpan stare.

"Gotten over it by now?" Edmond inquired, to which Lucy nodded while crossing her arms.

"The only reason I'm here is to make sure you guys don't get into trouble." Lucy said in a commanding tone. "So don't go blowing up the beach… please?" She added, this time a bit more sheepishness, and Edmond merely nodded, a growing grin on his face.

"Don't worry, this is just a spar basically, so we won't be going all out." Edmond said, with Natsu nodding, this time a bit more seriously, but with a grin still on his face. Happy seemed to take that as his ticket to go float over by Lucy, awaiting the coming battle. Lucy herself did have a pensive expression on her face, her mind being reminded of when Natsu had fought Erza.

"Yea, I guess, but don't expect me to pull any punches!" Natsu promised with an exclamation, making Edmond nod with determination. The two readied themselves, getting into their fighting stances, Edmond preparing to cast a spell while Natsu set his fists alight. "We go when Lucy says."

"Fair enough." Edmond agreed, Lucy shrugging as she observed them. A few more moments past by as Lucy prepared herself for the incoming onslaught of spells. Once she was ready, she told them to start.

"B-Begin!" Lucy stuttered a bit as she called, not used to playing the referee for wizard duels, but if either combatant cared, they didn't show it as Natsu rushed froward and Edmond cast his spell.

"**Cosmic Make: Whip!**" He exclaimed, forming a whip from his magic and lashing it out at the dragon slayer. Natsu grinned as he managed to jump over the attack, but Edmond had the whip's end merely follow the fire-based wizard and wrap around his torso, before the whip suddenly wrenched him backwards, and slammed him into the ground. Natsu didn't even flinch at the impact, instead effortlessly standing up with a feral grin. He then jumped up, fire following his feet, his fists still alight.

"**Fire Dragon Iron Fist!**" Natsu yelled, falling towards Edmond at an accelerated speed. Edmond briefly panicking, and realizing his whip would not be enough, quickly readied a new spell.

"**Cosmic Mak-**" Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as Natsu's fist was upon him faster than he expected, and while he moved out of the way of a direct attack, the fire that spewed out from the dragonslayer blew him backwards. He winced as the flames licked his clothes and skin, realizing his black duster was going to be even blacker by the time this match was over. Natsu didn't relent, easily pushing through his own flames and sending a non-flaming punch into Edmond's stomach, causing the novice mage to double over in pain. He was then sent skidding back several feet, clutching his midsection. _Holy shit! How does anyone take that and not give any kind of reaction!? _Edmond thought, fighting the urge to lose his lunch, quickly getting back into his stance. "**Cosmic Make: Anvil!**" He yelled out, hurling a shining Anvil through the air, Natsu allowing the spell to get to him, simply grabbing the cosmic-made smithing tool and stopping it, but not without having to dig his feet into the ground, his sandals digging through the dirt for several feet to stop the momentum.

"Thats a pretty good attack for a newbie to magic." Natsu praised, still holding onto the anvil despite not needing to, having stopped its momentum. Edmond merely smirked as he stopped concentrating on it's form, the anvil beginning to almost liquify as it began to waver and ripple uncontrollably. "What the-" was all Natsu could mutter before the anvil exploded in his face, the force knocking him away, the dragonslayer flying for several yards.

Lucy was a bit surprised that Edmond had managed to get such a good hit on Natsu, but then she figured that Natsu probably forgot that Edmond could do that sometimes. She was still not sure if he meant to make his creations explode, as one time he had nearly gotten him and herself caught in one of those blasts.

"What was that?" Gray's voice came from behind her suddenly, and Lucy peered to see the Ice-Make wizard walking up to her, his hands in his pockets, observing the fight, without a shirt. She ignored that fact in favor of answering his question.

"That was Edmond's magic, it seems like he can make his creations explode every now and again. Not sure, but it seems like he can do them on purpose, but can also sometimes do it on accident." Lucy explained, watching as Natsu jumped back to his feet with a large grin, before the pyromaniac rushed forward again, flames jetting out from beneath his feet.

"Weird. Then again, I've never seen a magic like his either. It's similar to mine and Laki's, but at the same time, he makes things with... cosmic energy?" Gray seemed to ask a question more than stating a fact, never hearing about such magic. Natsu reached Edmond just as the novice made a sword of cosmic energy and swung, Natsu ducking under the inexperienced strike easily. Edmond managed to dodge another punch at the last second before swinging again, hitting Natsu in the shoulder, before the dragonslayer retaliated by grabbing his wrist, and throwing the cosmic mage into the ground on Natsu's opposite side.

"That's what he said. He also said he's only had it a week." Happy said with a shrug, but making sure to make a mental note to ask Edmond about it later. While a lot of people might think he doesn't have anything on his mind other than fish, he did pride himself on his knowledge of different types of magic, so when presented with a new one, he always tried to learn as much about it as he could. Gray was stunned at Happy's last sentence and watched inquisitively as Edmond fought.

"Jesus..." Edmond groaned as he tried to recover from being thrown into the ground, inadvertently making a him-shaped crater in the ground. Natsu still had a hold of his wrist, and decided to take advantage of that fact. "**Cosmic Make: Flail!**" The sword in the same hand Natsu had gripped suddenly elongated and the blade became chains, and the tip formed into a ball with spikes on its surface. The end of the flail stayed airborne for a few moments with Natsu looking at it with a raised eyebrow before it reeled back and slammed into his face, an almost comical 'bonk' sound coming from the impact. Natsu released Edmond, and the novice went on the assault, sending his other fist into Natsu's gut. _OW! What the hell? I think I just hurt myself more than I did him. _Edmond thought as he shook off his now throbbing left hand. _Think Edmond, I can't win this with pure strength. What can i use to my advantage? _Edmond thought as he kept the flail attacking Natsu at close range, trying to keep the pink-haired man occupied. _Oh wait! Thats right, Natsu has one glaring weakness!_

He reeled the flail back again before bringing it around and aiming for Natsu's legs, hoping to entangle them. Natsu jumped over the attack, his legs moving as soona s he came down, heading straight for Edmond. _Just gotta get him airborne! _Edmond thought with slight panic, having the flail follow Natsu at a greater speed, eventually coiling around the dragonslayer's right leg right as Nastu was about to deliver a flaming punch. Edmond made the flail snap back, throwing Natsu's balance off and causing him to fall face first onto the ground. Edmond didn't stop, and brought the pink-haired wizard high into the air before beginning to spin him around quickly.

"Whoaaaa!" Natsu shouted, before quickly covering his mouth as his face became green. Edmond smirked, continuing the onslaught of motion sickness, believing this would be the best chance for him to take down Natsu. Until the dragonslayer in question wreathed his legs in hot flames, kicking the cosmic chains that bound him a few times, but managing to break them. Edmond was shocked. _What!? But in Canon, Natsu was rendered almost completely inert from motion sickness! _So shocked was he that didn't realize Natsu was coming right for him. "**Fire Dragon Claw!**" he cried, and bringing his leg forward, his foot found purpose on Edmond's face, hitting right on his left cheek. Edmond was sent back again, flipping against the ground several times and groaning as he finally stopped. Edmond got his hands under him, and struggled to stand, his arms shaking as he got up from his position on the ground.

By the time he managed to stand on his own, Natsu was looking at him, only a few feet away, clearly barely bothered by the previous attacks, although there was definitely evidence of them. There were scrapes and bruises around the edges of his face, and his arms looked partially charred, along with a good portion of his shirt. Edmond realized that Natsu could have done him in several times over in the time it had taken him to recover, which meant one thing to the novice. This fight was over.

Natsu came up to him and gave him a pat on his shoulder, Edmond huffing a bit as he did, clearly not too satisfied with the outcome. But he couldn't go on any longer, else he might just hurt himself more than anything. _I'll definitely have to get stronger than this… but I guess for now, it's a start. _He thought to himself, giving Natsu his best smile.

"That was a good fight man! And you only started a week ago too! In a few months you'll be a force to reckoned with!" Natsu praised, Edmond only offering a thumbs up in response, his breathing slightly painful due to the hit taken to his gut.

"Good job Edmond!" Lucy said, her and Gray approaching the duo. "You did really well, especially for a novice going up against someone like Natsu." Edmond and the dragonslayer in question looking a little surprised that the Ice-Make wizards was there. The raven haired wizard nodded in agreement with Lucy.

"Yea, not bad for a beginner, Interesting magic you have." Gray commented, and Edmond rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed about the praise. He got his breathing back together, a bit surprised at how fast the pain was going away, chalking it up to his new magically infused body.

"Yea, you can say that again. But I wouldn't trade it for the world." Edmond said with a smile, making Natsu pat him on the back, a little too roughly, as Edmond was thrown off balance, and stumbled a little. "I have a long way to go, but I'm pretty happy with my progress so far… now I just need to figure out where I'm going to be sleeping for a while." Edmond said with a tad of exasperation, this thought having been in the back of his mind for a while now.

"Why not room with Natsu or Gray? I'm sure they have some room." Lucy asked, making Edmond consider that for a moment, trying to remember what exactly the housing arrangements were like for the main circle of people in the canon. He knew what Lucy had her own apartment, most of the other female wizards lived within Fairy Hills, the female-only apartment complex not far from the guild it was named after. However he wasn't entirely sure where the other (mostly male) members of the guild lived within magnolia, besides Natsu who lived in a near-literal stone shack outside of the city limits.

"I've got room." Gray offered, making Edmond look to him, shaking out of his thoughts. "Plus, Natsu has practically no room in his house, and sleeps in a hammock." Natsu didn't seem bothered by Gray's comment, merely shrugging, since it was the truth.

"Yea, not much more room at my place man." Natsu said with a sheepish grin. Edmond nodded in understanding, looking to Gray in thanks.

"I appreciate the offer man, I mean, I haven't even been here for a day. Are you sure it'll be alright?" Edmond asked, and Gray actually did pause a bit, thinking about it, but nodded, confirming he was fine with the arrangement.

"It's no big deal. As long as you pay your half of the rent of course." Gray stated, making Edmond nod, making plans to take a job off the board as soon as he could.

"Of course. I try my best to pull my weight." Edmond said with determination, still quite eager to start living the 'guild life' even after getting beat down. Gray seemed satisfied with that, Natsu and Lucy too seemed pleased with the attitude of their guild's newest member. With that the group entered the guild again, all of them content to do some socializing for the rest of the evening.

* * *

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Harry once more heard the near incoherent thanks of a parent he had helped out as the father of Madison, Jake, and Sally returned from work. He was a bit embarrassed, especially considering the man was a few inches taller than himself, standing at a rather staggering 6'4. But his height betrayed his attitude, being more than welcoming to Harry when he had been told of why he was there. Seeing his face light up with joy as he too was reunited with his children was also an unsung reward for the novice mage.

"Its really no problem, I mean, if it wasn't for them, i'd have been in there for another two days or more." Harry said while holding his hands in a placating manner as the older and taller man bowed from the hips to him. "I'm just glad we all made it back in one peice. And if it hadn't been for those fairy tail wizards showing up… well, best not to dwell on what ifs." Harry was actually very much a person that dwelled on such things, but over the years, he had learned to keep such things to himself in favor of preserving any good mood the room might have had.

"Maybe so. But still, we owe you something we can't put a price on, if there is anything we can do for you, just let us know. As the head of the Folly family, I swear we won't forget what you've done." The father said, now standing up and looking at Harry with a sense of both thanks and respect. Harry thought he was going a bit far with that last sentence, but decided not to argue.

"C'mon! Dinner is ready!" Mrs. Folly stated, peeking her head out from the kitchen to inform the two men. Before Harry could say anything else, he found himself being pushed in the direction of the kitchen by Jake, who was now shoving on the middle of his back from behind.

"Alright, Alright, I'm going." Harry said with a chuckle, heading towards the dining room to eat. The dining table had been set, and soon everyone was sitting, eating, drinking, and chatting away happily, even as the kids recalled how Harry had saved them, and what they had made while under Erigor's roof. The mood remained rather cheery though, and ultimately everyone remained in good spirits about it all, even with the parents being obviously concerned about everything.

"Well, I have really enjoyed the hospitality, but I probably need to be going soon. I don't want to miss the last train back." Harry stated, dinner over, and everyone began to clean up. Mrs. Folly nodded, knowing that he couldn't stay too much longer now that it was getting late.

"I understand." She responded, Mr. Folly nodding in tandem with her.

"But… C'mon! You can stay the night, right?" Jake protested, going up to Harry and tugging on his arm sleeve. Sally nodding along with her brother's statement, Mr. Folly simply laughing at their innocence while Mrs. Folly decided to rescue Harry from having to answer.

"Now Now, Mr Harry has to leave so he doesn't miss another train." She gently chided, the kids having disappointed looks on their faces. "It'll be okay, how about tomorrow we go out for some treats? Maybe some Ice cream?" They perked up at that, but were still somewhat saddened at Harry's leaving. Harry stepped to the door, Madison, Sally, and Jake all saying their goodbyes, and Their parents wishing him luck and safety.

"And if you ever need anything, and are in the area don't hesitate to come and visit!" Mr. Folly told Harry, the young wizard walking down the road and away from the house now, waving goodbye to them as he headed for the train station.

Once arriving, Harry managed to catch a train that was just about to depart, the evening sun dousing everything in a beautiful orange hue. Harry got on the train, his book still in his grasp, finding an isolated booth, something not hard given the later hour. He got comfortable, and opened the book, carrying on from where he left off. The next section describing the physical differences that wizards exhibited versus most other people, something that could vary widely with each individual mage.

However, there were characteristics of wizards that were common throughout every one of them. Wizards often have increased strength, speed, durability, lower reaction times, and quicker healing times. These often change and vary depending on the mage, but most mages are often much tougher and stronger than normal people are. The prevailing theory about this is because of the increased Ethernano that runs through their bodies, enhancing their basic physical capabilities.

Harry hummed as he read about this, finding the explanation fitting for the feats he had witnessed so far, and was a convenient explanation for a shonen universe. Since everything varied from mage to mage though, He wondered just how he measured up to the average mage. There was no way for him to know unless he visited a doctor. Harry sighed, and mentally put that on the growing list of things to do in the future.

* * *

Edmond wobbled a bit, the alcohol he had been consuming slurring his movements and thoughts. He, Lucy, Natsu, and Gray had all returned to the guild and decided to chat over some drinks. Lucy had barely had any, Gray had finished one full mug before switching to something non-alcoholic, while Natsu had never even gotten anything with a kick. Edmond however, was on his fourth mug, his whole being becoming looser and more relaxed.

"Looks like you're enjoying yourself." Lucy commented, Edmond nodding simply as he took another swig. "Just don't go drinking like Cana. I don't know how much money you have left from when you were in Ginville, but having a big tab is never good."

"Oh I know." Edmond said as he placed his now empty mug down, a light blush to his face. "But I haven't had a good drink in a while." Lucy shrugged at that, content with letting Edmond do as he pleased. Natsu and Gray were in the middle of an argument, this one about, oddly enough, the best flavor of ice cream. How it had started, Edmond honestly couldn't remember. As the next hour passed, Edmond adjusted himself and stopped drinking anything, figuring he didn't want a hangover in the morning. He kept himself alert by talking to Lucy about her previous jobs with Natsu, and managing to find out where exactly he was in the timeline.

"Well, I suppose I better head back to the apartment, and maybe pay the landlady while I'm at it." Lucy said, standing up from the table she and Edmond were sitting at, and giving the new guild member a winning smile. "And I know everyone has already said this in one way or another, but welcome to the guild Edmond." Lucy said, Edmond nodding in thanks, his own smile widening. Lucy made her way out of the guild, the evening sun bathing magnolia in an orange glow, in contrast to the yellowish white light from the illuminating lacrimas within the guild.

Edmond sighed contentedly, before looking around at everyone else still at the guild. Natsu had cooled down sometime in the last half hour and left home already. Gray was sitting at the counter, talking with Mirajane and Elfman. He spotted Cana passed out on the same counter, only a few seats away, drool from her mouth leaking onto the wooden boards. Edmond stifled a chuckle at that. Besides them, there weren't all too many there, with a few wizards that Edmond did not recognize, most likely because they were, to put it bluntly, background characters, with little to no impact on the story as a whole.

He considered that for a moment, and wondered what their lives were like. After all, these were people that were living their lives as mages who didn't see a lot of the fame or fortune as the ones that frequented the show. The sight of Gray getting up from his seat brought Edmond out of his thoughts, the ice-make wizard coming up to him with a fairly neutral expression.

"Edmond, I'm going to head to the apartment for the night, you can either come with or I can give you the address." Edmond shook his head as he got up, albeit with a slight wobble to his step.

"Nah, I'll come with you, best to get acquainted with the layout of Magnolia early anyway." Edmond stated, Gray nodding in understanding, the two of them walking out of the guild with a quick wave goodbye to a few of the other members still there.

* * *

Harry walked off the train station in Clover town, the last rays of sunshine greeting him as he began making his way towards the center of town. He looked to the path that led to Ginville, but shook his head. _Don't exactly have any weapons or anything on me. I guess I'm going to have to spend a little money and stay somewhere overnight. _He sighed to himself, searching for an inn as he looked around the town.

Finding a place didn't take long, and upon handing over his payment, Harry was provided with a small room, allowing him to continue to read the book in his hands. '_Wizards and what makes them_' had proven to be extremely useful, and now he was into how magic is often delegated, or more specifically how people acquire their magic. And there were multiple different ways for a person to acquire their particular brand of magic.

The most common was for someone to simply read a book regarding magics and attempt to manifest the magic in some way. This was usually done at an early age so that young mages would get accustomed to using magic as early as possible, and allow them to experiment with it to determine how they might want to manipulate their magic. At first Harry was rather perplexed by this, but then read and realized that magic was much more flexible than in something like DND. Not all fire wizards were the same, nor was there any kind of wizard that was completely alike in terms of how they used their magic, even if on paper, they used the exact same "brand" of magic.

Harry found that explanation odd as with his own magic, he found that he couldn't really use it in any other way. Perhaps it would be possible to enchant _himself _but he also imagined that such a procedure would be extremely painful, and literally scarring. Thus, using items or clothing on him that enchanted him indirectly would be the most feasible. He wasn't sure really what else he could do, as he has not had time to experiment with the qualities of his magic, and what can be adjusted or altered to suit his goals. _For now at least, I know that I can basically apply any kind of effect to any kind of object as long as I have the required magical energy to do so. The enchantment doesn't go into effect unless I supply the magic to activate it and keep it running, sort to speak. Or in other words, I can, in a sense, code the reality of an object given I have the energy to do so... _Harry laughed a bit darkly as he thought about the possibilities of such an ability, but then remembered how hard it had been to create the Mark I. _Things will definitely vary with the type of enchantment, what the material I'm enchanting is, and so on. _

Harry refocused on the book, making a mental note to buy a journal of some kind when he got back to town in order to document his discoveries and theories on his magic. As he continued, he found that other than their increased physical resistances, strength, and speed, there wasn't much that separated them from normal people. Even then, the difference in durability was staggering. According to a book, Wizards could have extremely tough skeletons, and very restsiant skin. Making normally fatal attacks nothing more than something short of an annoyance. _I'm not going to count on that. I'm making some goddamn armor before I even think about getting into another fight. _

Harry decided to close the book, figuring that it would be best to get up early and get back to Ginville as soon as he could so he could begin experimenting. He sighed as he laid down on the soft bed, briefly contemplating how crazy his life had gotten in such a short amount of time. He rolled over, knowing that thinking about his old world, how he and Edmond came to be here, and what could have happened otherwise, would be useless. Thoughts still plagued him though, of how, if this world was real, one thought of by some dude in Japan, then what other universes also existed? The Witcher? Fallout? Konosuba? Lord of The Rings? Warhamme- His eyes shot open, all efforts of going to sleep running away from him like a road runner. _Warhammer could exist. Or The Fate series, or the DOOM series, jesus, how many world and/or dimensional hopping franchises are there that could end whole realities? Now I'm definitely not getting any sleep._

* * *

Edmond swaggered down the road with Gray, the alcohol having a definite, yet light effect on him. He was known for being able to hold his liquor quite well back home, but he actually felt like he could throw 'em back even better here. He wondered if his magic abilities had anything to do with that. "Say Gray, do wizards ever seem to have generally better tolerances to alcohol than non-wizards?"

Gray raised his eyebrow at the somewhat sudden odd question "Well, if you're using Cana as your test subject for wizards then yea." he answered, his constantly annoyed personality chiming in "Although, in general no. At least, not that I've seen".

Edmond stared down at the stone brick road beneath their feet as they walked "Ah, I see." He said simply.

Gray looked over at Edmond "Why'd you ask that all of a sudden?"

Edmond continued to stare down at the path, and didn't seem to intent on answering. Gray merely shrugged, continuing to walk onwards as Edmond followed. He noted that Edmond, despite clearly being buzzed, still seemed to be able to walk fine as well as talk fine, albeit slurring a couple words here and there.

"Ya know, you might just be as good at holdin' your liquor as Cana is." Gray told Edmond, "Although I could be jumping the gun. You did only have a few drinks tonight."

Edmond's attention changed when Gray asked that "Ya think?" He asked. That idea seemed a little odd admittedly, considering that he had witnessed Cana take a literal cask of beer and chug it down which, while being something he would see on the show, still seemed rather surprising after witnessing it in person.

"Well, I wouldn't want to go too far in saying that. She does have a reputation to uphold." Gray stated, chuckling a bit. But then his mind decided to trail off somewhere else. "Say, so you said that you've only had your magic for about a week?"

Edmond looked towards Gray, his eyes bright "Yep, same thing for my friend that I saved too."

Gray's eyes narrowed slightly "How exactly did that happen? Did you read a book about it or did someone grant it to you? Or What?"

Edmond heard Gray's questions clearly, but didn't know quite how to answer them. He figured the best way would be to tell a...partial truth "Well, in all honestly they just kinda came suddenly. I don't really recall exactly how it happened, I just know it did."

Gray hummed in thought "Well, I can't say that I've heard of anyone just getting their magic out of the blue like that. Usually someone's magic would have to be learned or taught." Gray held his hand up to his chin while thinking "And you said your friend received his at the same time as you?" Edmond then confirmed Gray's question, a small hint of concern present in his mind "Then I wonder if there's some sort of connection there."

Edmond merely shrugged and shook his head. "Beats me. All I really know is what I told you. It just kinda happened."

Gray pondered this for a short moment, then stopped suddenly "Well, whether you know how you got it or not, at least you're using it for the right reason."

Edmond didn't really know how to respond to that, but felt very appreciative of Gray's comment. Although after discussing this with Gray he found himself wondering just how it is he actually came to possess this magic. He of course knew that he must have died in his old life, given the circumstances, but there were still many questions as to how he ended up here specifically in the first place, let alone how he got his magic.

After a while the two arrived at Gray's apartment, the modest accommodation appearing surprisingly scarce and simple. Then again, Gray never was one for fluff, so Edmond wasn't particularly surprised.

"Well, for now you can sleep on the couch. I don't have another bed, sorry."

Edmond waved his hand around "ah, don't worry about it. I've had to deal with sleeping in an abandoned house for a while, so this is actually a pretty big step up." Gray raised a brow at that, but decided not to question further. A few minutes later, Gray had decided to go to sleep early, leaving Edmond with a few pillows and a blanket for the couch. There were a few pictures around the living room where he could see younger versions of the main cast of the show. He had been tempted to ask Gray about the pictures, but decided to keep quiet. If he seemed too clueless, he might come off as dull, or just suspicious.

He sighed as he laid down to finally get some proper sleep after everything that had happened since Erigor first attacked Ginville, and thought about how Harry might be doing right now. No matter what though, Edmond had a good feeling about the future, and what laid before him and Harry.

* * *

**Author's notes**

**Another chapter complete, with this one, once again, taking longer than I would have liked. Thankfully It came out the way we wanted it, allowing me to give some exposition with Harry's scenes, while giving some action with Edmond's. Not sure yet what the next chapter will be, but it will likely focus on one of the two instead of it being intermingled like this one. **

**So, I know no one knows, but I went on a trip this past weekend out of state, and was away from my computer, meaning that I got absolutely no writing done these past few days. This chapter was already nearly complete when I left, so there wasn't much left for either I or Black_Hawk to add. **


	8. Chapter 8- The First Job

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

**The First Job**

Edmond trudged forward in the deep snow, the soft, pillowy surface crunching beneath his feet. He looked ahead on the path in front of him, but the snow storm kept his vision blurry. _Some first job this turned out to be_, he thought to himself.

He looked to his comrades who he had joined. Master Makarov instructed two other guild members to take him on his first job, a sort of initiation job, so to speak. Although the two that were assigned to him weren't exactly what he expected.

"_Everybody doing alright_?" Warren asked, his telepathic magic cutting through the snow. Said man was a slim-built, black haired mage with an undercut-like style to his hair. When Edmond had first met him at the guild hall, he had worn a high-collar red jacket with orange cuffs and shoulders. Now though, the jacket was overlaid with a thicker dark red jacket with a grey wool lining just barely visible on the edges.

"_All good here, although this snow storm isn't making our life any easier_." Laki responded, their telepathic link helping to make conversation easier in the high-speed winds. Laki was a young woman that looked to have just come into adult-hood, her bowl-cut style dull purple hair and brown eyes squinting as she looked through the storm. She had previously worn a light-colored coat with long blue strikes that ran down the arms, but had discarded that for a much warmer brown and purple fur coat she had that looked to be custom made for her color palette.

He wished that his duster was warmer, thicker, and didn't have as many holes, slices, or thinned out areas as it did. It wasn't ratty looking by any means, but the fact of the matter was that he was clutching his shoulder in the vain attempt to keep his body temperature high while his companions only looked mildly perturbed by the cold. _Maybe its a magic thing. Maybe if I use my magic more it'll increase magic circulation… or something. _Edmond guessed to himself, looking at the large expanse of white on discolored white that was the area in which they were conducting their job.

"_So remind me what it is we're out here for again_?" Edmond stated through the telepathic link. He actually found that to be a rather odd sensation, talking to others without actually moving his mouth, but he was glad he could. Not only was it hard to hear each other, but he felt like the further on they moved, the less distance he could see around him.

"_We're searching for the location where some thieves hid the treasure they stole. Authorities already have them in custody, it's our job to find where they said they hid it and return it_." Warren reiterated, a clear annoyed resignation in his voice about the nature of the job.

Edmond sighed, not that anyone could hear. He didn't appreciate the fact that his first job with the guild felt more like grunt work than anything. Although he supposed that given his ranking he can't necessarily start off taking particularly dangerous jobs right off, so he understood. Still didn't make him feel any better though.

"_If the map we have is correct, we should be getting close to the described location by now, but given that we can't really see where we are exactly I would find it difficult to make that a promise_." Laki then added, attempting to read the admittedly useless map they had been given which supposedly listed the location of the treasure.

"_I'm gonna be honest Laki, I'm not really sure how you would be able to tell if we're getting close or not. I can't make out anything we would be able to use as a landmark_." Edmond stated frankly. He looked over to Laki, barely able to see her through the storm, who seemed to be pondering what he was saying.

"_To be honest I can't really say for certain, I'm just having to go on my own instincts_." She responded, looking helplessly at the map.

"_Yea… Not exactly any way we can find ourselves… Edmond, see anything yet_?" Warren asked, Edmond merely giving a hum in decline. Laki hummed in frustration, seemingly ready to throw the map in her hands into the snow before the very snow she was thinking of as a suitable target caved in as she walked on it. A girlish yelp soon followed by a long cry as she seemed to fall down into whatever cavern that laid below.

"Laki!" Both males cried out loud, jumping to the hole she fell into, only to smack their head against each other in doing so. They backed off, rubbing their heads, and surprisingly for Edmond, it was Warren that recovered first and jumped after his fallen guild member, his falling cry joining Laki's even as it was becoming harder to hear.

"I should have known something like this would happen." Edmond said to himself, the infamous ability for Fairy Tail mages to find themselves in some kind of trouble coming to his mind, reminding him of the conversation he had with Laki and Warren on the way to their job, where Edmond made a striking realization…

"Geronimo!" He cried, surprised that instead of a straight drop, the fall smoothed out into what could only be described as the coldest tunnel slide he had ever been on. He shivered as he kept sliding down the tunnel, Warren's cries just ahead of him, hoping that the fact he couldn't hear Laki's voice wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Thankfully he heard it again right as Warren stopped yelling himself and they both exclaimed with an 'oof'. By the time he realized why, it was too late, his form barreling into his fellow guild members, slamming into their backs right as they turned their head to the entrance of the ice cave they were now in. "Ow." Was Edmonds simple statement as he moved Laki's foot from his face. And once he could properly see, his eyes widened with a sense of both fear and exasperation.

...The realization that the main cast wasn't the exception when it came to crazy missions that took turns for the worse/better that not many would have seen coming. No, it was like that for the whole guild, something that Edmond would now learn personally.

"Intruders!" A large ape-like creature yelled, it's fur white with a blue chest, face, and belly, along with blue circles that lined it's arms. Plus nearly a dozen others that looked similar to it exclaiming similar words as the three mages managed to pull themselves together. "Intru-hu-hu-hu-ders!" Another exclaimed, beating his chest, before another one pointed a large finger right at Laki. "Woman!" They all seemed to only now notice that fact, at which, they all seemed to grow large perverted smiles. "Woman!"

"Welp… This just got interesting." Edmond stated with dry humor as he got into his fighting stance, Laki cringing at the looks she was getting from the Vulcans, and Warren gulping as he got into his own fighting stance, which was reminiscent of a kung fu stance. Then the Vulcan's charged the group, most of them going after Laki, hearts practically in their eyes.

"**Wood make: Spike Trap!**" Laki's exclamation was followed by a pulse of her magic and a large array of wooden spikes springing up in a semi-circle around them, and catching the Vulcan's off-guard, several of them being sent flying. Most of them however only stopped temporarily before destroying the wooden spikes that had impeded them.

"Don't let up! **Cosmic make: Warhammer!**" Edmond exclaimed, the large warhammer appearing in his hands as he swung wide, catching the closest one and sending the Vulcan into a nearby pillar of frosted stone. Edmond was about to repeat the action before a large blue fist collided with his stomach, sending him into the wall behind his guildmates, still clutching the warhammer in his arms.

"Edmond!" Warren shouted in concern, the man moving to engage, flawlessly dodging a Vulcan's punch before retaliating with a flying roundhouse, the strike snapping the ape's head in the opposite direction, the creature howling with pain. Another went for him at the same time, and again, he easily dodged the strike, and punched the ape in the gut, lifting the creature up a few inches before stepping back and palm-striking it hard, the ape being sent flying into another.

"**Wood make: Flails of forbidden desire!**" Laki shouted, as three tall wooden poles sprouted from the ground, each of them with hinges along their length, and a wooden chain with flail on the end of each one, the three flail-towers all bent down thanks to their hinges and began to rotate quickly, the Vulcans, who had gotten too close for Laki's comfort, were struck repeatedly by the flails, but managed to hold their ground before they grabbed the poles, and tore them apart.

"Pretty woman! You're coming with us! Ooo Hoo!" The lead Vulcan declared, hearts in his eyes, reaching for one of Laki's arms.

"**Wood make: The Dam of Shy Love!**" Those same Vulcans who had gotten so close were suddenly launched into the air as several dozen large wooden blocks sprouted from underneath them, sending them hurling toward the ceiling.

"Alright!" Edmond encouraged, watching as the Vulcans slammed into the ceiling before collapsing into a pile in front of the mages. "My turn now! **Cosmic make: Anvil!**" He shouted, pulling hands back before throwing them forward to give his creation the momentum it needs as it sails forward, striking the pile of stunned Vulcans like a bowling ball to pins. He was rather happy with how things were going so far, and it seemed like they might be able to continue their search soon. A solid smack of flesh on flesh drew his attention away from the Vulcans he had just 'struck' and to where Warren delivered another solid punch to one of the two Vulcans he was holding off. After another roundhouse kick to the other, that Vulcan went down with a groan, and didn't seem too keen on getting back up. _It must be useful to be able to read your opponent's minds. _Edmond thought as he watched Warren fight.

"You guys doing okay?" Warren asked over his shoulder, dodging another punch and delivering an axe kick to the offending creature.

"Yep, we're pretty good over here!" Laki said with rising confidence, the easily handled Vulcans having boosted it. Edmond merely nodded before rubbing his shoulders, as the ice cave they were in, while slightly warmer than outside, was still below freezing. Several of the Vulcans actually got up, eyeing the wizards with tense glares, but were now much more wary of them.

"Guys. I think they have the treasure horde we're looking for. Apparently their boss is guarding it further into the cave." Warren stated, Edmond giving him an incredulous look, but Laki was rather ecstatic.

Edmond looked down towards where the cave continued, the dark, cold corridor sending a chill down his spine. "How far down do you think that is?" Edmond asked, Warren giving a slight shrug.

"No idea, but if that's where the treasure is then we gotta press on." Warren stated "But at least we won't have to deal with the snow storm outside." Then the three glanced at the re-approaching Vulcans. "After we take care of these guys of course."

* * *

As the trio continued onward into the cave, they found it odd that they hadn't encountered anymore vulcans by now. If their boss were further into the cave, they would've expected to meet further opposition as well. Overall though things seemed relatively quiet.

"Almost too quiet," Edmond stated aloud, the sudden sound of his voice breaking the eerie silence.

And indeed this cave was silent. Where one would expect a normal cave to have faint drips of water and the sound of rocks sliding as the earth shifted, this cave had no such sound. Only the echoing footsteps of the three mages as they continued to progress deeper and deeper still.

"Amazing how smooth these cave walls have formed," Warren stated, admiring the faint crystal-like beauty of the ice cave. Laki hummed in agreement, but had something else on her mind.

"This must be some important treasure if you were going to go through all the trouble to hide it out this far." She stated, getting the listening attention of her two companions "I mean, who would go through all this trouble? And not only that, but give it up to the authorities almost immediately after they're caught?" As Edmond listened to Laki ponder this outloud, he couldn't help but ponder that himself. What could be so valuable that someone would have to go to such great lengths to hide it, but then not have enough incentive to keep it hidden even after they're caught.

"Perhaps they weren't particularly worried about anybody finding it, even with its last known location." Warren suggested.

"Or they've sent us in the complete wrong direction on purpose." Edmond then stated, his fingers covering his mouth in thought. As they Trekked further into the cave, the area seemed to get just slightly warmer, something Edmond was extremely grateful for. After only a minute more of walking, they came out into a larger expanse of the cave, much like the entrance they had discovered on accident. The main difference was that there was a large pile of sacks and crates, that appeared to be behind an area for a camp, complete with tents, a cold fire lacrima, some lamps, impromptu seating arrangements, and several dirty pots. However, what truly stood out in the cave was the massive Vulcan at the back of the room fiddling with a large metal chest it was handling like it was nothing.

"Stupid thing. Open!" The Large Vulcan yelled, and Edmond had a moment to take the sight of the creature in. It looked near-identical to the ones they had fought before, but this particular Vulcan was nearly twice the size as the others, and instead of having a darker belly, hands, and dots along its arms as opposed to it's white fur. This larger Vulcan however had dark red in those same places, as well as a large scar along its closed right eye, giving the Vulcan a much grimmer look. The large metal chets he was holding was nearly as big as the thing's arm, and was silver in color with gold accents, and very fine designs all along it's surface. The three of them quickly dove behind a large icy stalagmite in order to prevent them from being seen.

"_Thats a really expensive looking chest_. _And a really powerful Vulcan._" Warren said telepathically, not wanting to alert the Vulcan of their presence if they could help it. Laki and Edmond merely nodded, looking around for anything else of interest within the cave.

"_It doesn't look like there's any other Vulcans around. So it'll be a three on one._" Edmond said through the mental link with a smirk, and Warren nodded, but did not seem overly confident.

"_Maybe so, but this guy looks bigger, plus, he looks experienced as well, and given his color, he's probably absorbed a mage before with its take-over magic. We should come up with a plan._" Warren suggested, Edmond nodding in response, before pausing as he re-played that last statement.

"_Maybe a trap of some kind, one of us could be the distraction, while the other two flank it and hit it hard?_" Laki suggested mentally.

"_Sound like a plan to me." _Edmond agreed with a thumbs up, and warren mirrored the action. In the back of his mind though, Edmond couldn't help but think about Warren's statement about how the Vulcan has probably absorbed a mage before. _If so… that means that this thing has killed before, although, we might be able to save the person thats been 'taken-over' so to speak. _Edmond thought hopefully. While he wasn't naive enough to believe death somehow wasn't existent in this world, he was surprised to encounter a Vulcan that's killed before.

"_I'll be the distraction since both of your magic types are better for dealing damage while I get it's attention with my telepathy._" Warren said, Edmond and Laki smiling at the formulated plan, ready to take it into action, eager to use his magic against a real opponent again. Laki went over to the left side of the room and hid behind a large ice pillar, while Edmond snuck around the stalagmite in order to get a better vantage point, and warren stepped out between the pillar and stalagmite, aiming a glare at the Vulcan as it smashed the chest against the ground in a feeble attempt to break it open, the chest proving extremely durable.

"Hey! Dumbass!" Warren's shout got the Vulcan's attention, as it froze, before looking up to see the mage standing there, seemingly ready for a fight. "Why don't you stop beating that chest to death and let me beat you black and blue instead."

"What'd you say!?" The Vulcan roared, the stereotypical insult causing the Vulcan to drop the chest and start making his way over to Warren, an angry scowl upon his face. As he approached, his left hand became wreathed in fire, shocking Warren. "I can tell you must be some mage. I'll just absorb your power like the last few that came after me!" The Vulcan roared, Warren suddenly becoming more on guard. He thought that the Vulcan might have killed a mage before given it's unique color, but multiple? This was going to be harder than he thought. Then the Vulcan suddenly stopped, and began to sniff audibly, another moment of sniffing the air passed before he smirked lecherously. "And you didn't come alone!" Before Warren could react, the large Vulcan struck the ice pillar to his right, Laki flying away briefly from the shockwave before being caught by the magical creature's large fist.

"Laki!" Warren shouted in alarm, watching as the Vulcan looked lecherously at his new captive, The wood make mage struggling in the magical creature's strong grip, unable to cast a spell. Edmond decided to act.

"**Cosmic make: Warhammer!**" Edmond yelled from behind the creature, a warhammer of cosmic energy forming near-instantly, the weapon striking the Vulcan's back with a mighty thud, the red-tinted Vulcan letting loose a grunt as he lost his grip on Laki, the mage dropping onto her arse unceremoniously before rising up as quickly as she could.

"Why you!" The Vulcan roared, seemingly more annoyed at the attack than anything, raising a fist and sending it towards the cosmic make wizard.

"**Wood make: Wood Wall!**" Laki shouted, a large wooden wall sporting in front of Edmond, blocking the fist heading for him, But cracking heavily. Edmond got out of the way as the Vulcan's second fist hot the shield as well, completely destroying the magical construct. The Vulcan smiled cockily as Edmond clumsily held his warhammer. He was still not used to the feeling of really holding a weapon, but was not going to let it stop him from trying.

"Your going to have to do better than that little-" The Vulcan began, before he stopped, and gripped his head in agony. "M-My head Arg!" He groaned, Edmond looking at the Vulcan with confusion, before turning his attention to Warren, who was concentrating hard on the Vulcan while keeping both of his hand's index and middle fingers on his temples.

"You guys get the hits in, I'll keep him busy." Warren said with a bit of strain, the resistance to his telepathy magic rather strong with the Vulcan. Laki and Edmond nodded as they rushed forward, Laki preparing a spell while Edmond swung his hammer once again. It struck the Vulcan's face with a mighty smack, the creature gripping it's nose in pain. It swung blindly, and unfortunatly for Edmond, the creature found it's mark, sending the cosmic make mage flying for several feet.

"**Wood make: Violent approach!**" At her words, a large spiked ball of wood emerged from her hands and was sent hurtling towards the Vulcan, slamming against the Vulcan's chest. It staggered a bit from the force, but was able to stay upright, and as it regained it's footing, still dealing with the growing migraine, An anvil made of cosmic energy slammed into his face, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his back. "**Wood make: The Dam of shy love**!" Laki exclaimed, placing her hands to the ground as her magic surged through it, reaching the vulcan, and forming several dozen large wooden blocks that slammed into it's back. The Vulcan cried out as it was sent flying a short distance.

"I think we've got this." Edmond said confidently, readying another spell to cast. Laki smirked as well, watching the Vulcan get upw hile rubbing it's head.

"Don't think this is over!" The vulcan roard, before it put it's two fists together, both of them turning to a brownish stone. He then sucked in a large breath, before letting loose a tremendous scream, the shockwave slower than the sound itself, but still faster than Any of the mages could react to. Laki and Edmodn were knocked off their feet, and Warren was able to brace himself, but lost concentration on his mind assault with the Vulcan. "I've got more tricks up my sleeve than you might think!" He then jumped towards them at surprising speed, raising his fists up and preparing to slam them down onto Edmond and Laki.

"**Wood make: Wall!**" Laki's shout was followed by a wooden wall of similar thickness to the last one she made covering her and Edmond in a dome like fashion. Unlike the previous wall though, this one did not survive for more than one hit. The Vulcan's fists broke straight through, and each one found purpose onto Laki and Edmond respectively, the maker-magic wizards cries of pain silenced by the fists currently covering their face along with most of their bodies.

"Laki! Edmond!" Warren yelled out, worry filling his voice, before he launched a powerful mind assault on the Vulcan, the creature yelling as it's hands turned back to flesh before they grabbed the sides of it's head. Warren grit his teeth, the magic flowing through his mind becoming a painful strain, thankfully Edmond and Laki both managed to get up and away from the Vulcan. Although after they did so, The Vulcan seemed to recover from the migraine, and growled dangerously at the two maker-wizards. The wizards in question looked back to see Warren was holding his own head in pain. "That spell took a lot out of me. Give me a second and I'll be ready again…" Warren said, his voice a bit strained before he backed away, his head still throbbing.

"Don't worry Warren, we'll finish this guy off, you did awesome man." Edmond said, readying another spell, magic gathering in his hands. Warren strained a smile at the compliment, Laki slamming her hands into the ground, already casting her spell.

"**Wood make: The distance between two is forever!**" Edmond raised an eyebrow at the long spell name, watching in slight awe as two large wood-sculpted hands emerged on the left and right of the Vulcan, locking it in place before it could properly react. The Vulcan seemed to be struggling to free itself as well.

"Damn wood! Let go!" The Vulcan growled out, The wood creaking dangerously as it struggled to keep the Vulcan in place.

"Edmond!" Laki cried, a bit of strain in her voice as she pumped a little more magic into her creation, trying to keep it from breaking. Said amatuer mage ran forward as he casted his spell with a cry.

"**Cosmic make: Sword!**" Edmond yelled out, wielding a longsword made from his magic, yelling as he swung the down onto the Vulcan's exposed shoulder, Eliciting a cry from the beast as the magic blade cut into it's flesh slightly. "**Cosmic make: Anvil!**" Edmodn said, casting that spell with his off-hand alone, the anvil forming imperfectly, but enough to where the dense magical object fell right onto the Vulcan's head. A comical bump appeared on his head, as the Vulcan seemed dazed from the attack. Edmond did not let up. "**Cosmic make: Hammer!**" Edmond yelled again, loosening his grip on his sword, finding his footing on the fingers of the wooden hands, and brought down his hammer directly onto the Vulcan's head, a crack filling the air as he did so. A moment later, the vulcan disappeared in a large puff of pink smoke, the magical gas filling Edmond's nose painfully. He backed away quickly, Coughing loudly, attempting to rid his lungs of what smoke had entered.

"Oh no! Edmond, are you alright?" Laki asked as she approached, dropping her spell, allowing the large wooden hands to disappear into splinters, and then into ethernano as it drifted away. Edmond nodded, before turning his head away from Laki to cough out more of the smoke. He was slightly lightheaded from the magical exertion, and was also still sore from the Vulcan's attack from before, but managed to keep himself upright. Warren walked up to him as well, having recovered earlier.

"That was awesome Edmond!" Warren said with amazement, looking on at the small number of craters, the result of their fight with the Vulcan. Edmond himself was rather impressed with their ability to defeat the creature, thanking whatever powers may be in this world he got that lucky hit on the Vulcan's head. The sound of that crack was somewhat echoing through his ears, but he did his best to ignore that. "Now all we need to do is secure the loot and we'll be golden!" Warren said with a thumbs up, getting a similar response from the cosmic make mage.

"Well, I try." Edmond said with a chuckle. Laki gave him a smile, before they began to gather as much of the stolen goods as they could.

* * *

"Hmmm." Makrov's hum was rather neutral in tone, but for some reason, it made Edmond rather nervous. After gathering up the stolen goods, thanks in large part to Laki's maker magic, they had been able to return all of the goods to the job lister, and came back several thousand jewels richer. Typically, lower ranked jobs don't need to be given a report on, but due to the status of the job lister, and the amount of jewels, a report was required.

"Impressive work Edmond. Taking down a powerful Vulcan like you managed is no easy feat." Makarov's praise somewhat surprised Edmond, considering what had taken place "But don't think that gets you off the hook for your reckless behavior!" Edmond's shoulders then slumped a little, knowing somewhat what was coming "I admire your tenacity, but as a new guild member, and inexperienced at that, you should have stayed back and let your more experienced guild mates deal with the situation."

Warren, being the leader of the job, decided to chime in "Well, if it wasn't for him we definitely would have had a harder time beating that Vulcan for sure." Then a giant hand bonked warren on the head, leaving a large welt atop it.

"Don't undermine my lecture Warren!" Makarov said loudly, "This guild already has a reputation for being reckless as it is," He then stopped mid sentence, and looked back towards Edmond "And I'm hoping that our older guild members will set a good example for our newer ones."

"Ugh, yes sir," Warren moaned out, rubbing his head.

"So, Edmond, I'm glad you're okay, but please try to be more careful next time, yes?" Makarov asked with a raised eyebrow, but with a tone that indicated there would be repercussions otherwise.

"Y-Yes master." Edmond answered, his voice only wavering slightly. He knew that this would be his last time to get off the hook, and he really didn't want to face the wrath of Makarov. The short man nodded, before ordering a beer from Mira, who had just gotten back to the bar after delivering drinks. Edmond turned back to Warren with a thumbs up, who returned it.

"Well, that definitely could have gone worse, why don't we grab a drink as celebration for the completion of your first job?" Warren asked, and Edmond nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, where's Laki at though?" Edmond asked, looking around for the purple-haired girl. "Did she leave early?" He asked, watching for any sign of the wood-make mage.

"Yea, she did actually, she said she was tired after the quest and went home. That just means more drink for us though!" Warren exclaimed happily, Edmond chucking as the two of them took a seat at an unoccupied table.

As it would turn out, people seemed to deem Edmond completing his first job as a good reason to celebrate, as everyone seemed to join in on the festivities, and while not planned out, there seemed to be an air of merriment around the guildhall. Mira brought Warren and Edmond their drinks, which they downed rather quickly. It made Edmond's stomach flutter at the thought that everyone was celebrating his success, a feeling that he believed he could get used to. After getting their second round of drinks, Edmond heard a voice call to him.

"Congrats on the quest completion!" Natsu's voice called to Edmond from nearby, and looking behind him, Edmond saw Natsu walking over to him with his usual smile, Happy floating next to him.

"Thanks man, although, it's not like I completed a super difficult one." Edmond said, scratching the back of his head. Nastu's smile didn't falter though, as he leaned against the booth that Edmond was sitting on.

"Doesn't matter how hard it was, what matters is that you got your first taste of guild life! And from here, you're only going to get stronger!" Natsu beamed, as Edmond suddenly understood why everyone in the guild, not only put up with Natsu's antics, but still held very positive opinions of the young dragons slayer. Not only was he a powerful friend, but he seemed to always try to cheer people up, even if he didn't realize it. Which, given this was Natsu, was likely.

"So. How much did you earn?" Happy asked inquisitive, hovering closer to Edmond, a paw on his chin. Edmond looked at the small envelope in his hand, the money within well hidden.

"I earned 40,000. When we split the reward between the three of us, this is what we all got." Edmond said fairly neutrally, an even smile on his face, although when he saw Happy and Natu's stunned expressions, he became confused.

"Jeez! Thats a lot more than what we ever bring home!" Happy lamented, Natsu trying his best not to look surprised. Edmond laughed nervously before taking another swig of his drink, the alcohol loosening his nerves.

"Thats because you go o jobs and then refuse the rewards numbnuts!" Warren admonished lightly, following it up with a laugh.

"Whats that supposed to mean!? You wanna fight!?" Natsu exclaimed, which only made Warren chuckle harder, Natus growling indignantly.

"He's just telling the truth, flamebrain." Gray's voice joined the fray as the ice make wizard approached them.

"Why don't you say that again!?" Natus challenged, getting in his rival's face, Gray, somehow losing his shirt in the process, snarled as his magic began to coalesce around his body.

"Alright, I will, Flamebrain." Gray said with a smirk, Natsu only getting even more frustrated at the ice-wizard. Edmond couldn't remember who threw the first punch, but what he did know was that chaos followed shortly afterwards. By the time the fight had started, he had finished his second drink, and was working on his third. While the beer wasn't terribly strong, it was still enough that he could already feel a good buzz coming on. Although this was a night to celebrate, he figured it wouldn't be any trouble.

"Dang. And here I thought this would have been a normal party." Warren said with a bit of amusement, watching as Natsu and Gray roughed each other up, getting more and more members of the guild involved as a result. "I might just want to hop out of here before I get involved… what about you Edmond?" Warren asked, before blanching somewhat as Edmond downed another full mug of beer. "Just how many of those have you had!?"

"Uhh… Buot the fourth one, a think." Edmond slurred out, his voice adopting a peculiar accent. Warren looked at the cosmic mage with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh. Think you should tone it down a-"

"Don't tell me ta tone down ma drinking ya bloody buzzkill!" Edmond's voice had gone full scottish as he downed the rest of his mug, Warren staring at him in shock. _I suppose everyone has their own quirks… _Warren thought with a bit of exacerbation.

Edmond currently couldn't really say why he spoke with an accent when he was drunk, but he knew that he did. Some people had found it hilarious, while others, annoying. Edmond couldn't remember the last time he was drunk, but he knew it must have been a hell of a time if he couldn't remember. Now though, he was far less concerned about the past, and much more concerned with the fact he was running out of drink again.

"Oi! Another round!" Right as Edmond said that, a chair was flown in his direction, missing his head by a few inches. If he cared, he gave no indication of it. Mira approached and gave Edmond another mug of beer, completely non-pulsed by Edmond's new behavior.

"You okay Edmond?" Warren asked, watching as Fairy Tail's newest member downed yet another drink.

"Just fine! I'm just gettin started!"

"We'll see about that newbie!" Warren flinched a bit as Cana seemed to have taken notice of Edmond's growing pile of empty mugs. Edmond's gaze shifted to where Cana was, a whole barrel of beer by her, now only half as full. "How about a competition?" Cana said with a teasing grin, confidence oozing through her.

"We'll see bout that ya daft bitch!"

* * *

Edmond was severely regretting his life choices right now. It was late at night now, and around an hour after he and Cana had finished their drinking competition with both of them walking away effectively disabled due to their drunkenness. However, Ultimately Cana was still standing while Edmond was now puking his guts out behind the guild building. A fight had somehow started at the end of his and Cana's drinking game, and he had gotten punched right in the gut, accelerating the process of his body discharging the contents of his stomach.

He wasn't sure who had punched him, but he had narrowed it down to several possibilities. It was likely Cana who was the closest to him when the fighting began as payback for calling her a bitch. But it equally could have been likely that it had been Elfman when Edmond had called him a 'lumbering, imbecilic beast-man'. Then there was also the possibility it was Erza. Because Erza.

Edmond wasn't sure who it was, but he probably deserved it.

"You done over here?" Gray's calm voice cane to him, and Edmond wiped his mouth before looking over to the black-haired mage. Said mage now sported several bruises and cuts courtesy of the fight the guild had just been through, most of which undoubtedly caused by one particular mage.

"Y-Yea, I think so." Edmond said miserably, now more than before sober.

"Good. I don't want you coming to the apartment and throwing up on the carpet." Gray said matter-of-factly, Edmond nodding as he straightened up from his hunched position. Then right as Edmond took a step, he fell face first into the ground, completely out. Gray stared at him disbelievingly for a few seconds before sighing. "Jeez."

Gray silently hoped this would be the last time he would have to carry their newest member home.

* * *

"This place is such a bore." The secretary's voice somewhat echoed in the empty mayor's office. Ginville being a relatively sleepy town most of the time, she wasn't worried about anyone suddenly coming in and hearing her. And she certainly wasn't worried about the 'mayor' hearing her. It would be a matter of a few more weeks and her business in the town would be over with, and she could move on to more pressing matters, even if her purpose here was still a very important one.

She was picking at her nails, a small stack of undone paperwork before her. As much as she wished she could be rid of this place, she was more or less forced to wait for their seeds to bear fruit. The sound of footsteps and a cane hitting the floor behind her altered her to her colleague's approach.

"Couldn't agree more." The 'Mayor's' voice came to her, the portly man looking rather tired and bored. "But it won't be too much longer. That fool fell right into the trap. Before long, our old friend will be free, and it will all be thanks to him." He laughed darkly, the woman rolling her eyes. But he was right, as thanks to that over-enchant wizard's magical signature, the process of breaking the spell that had bound their associate would be gone.

"It was an ordeal to get them here, but ultimately…" she said, looking over in the direction where the entrance to the town's vault was. "It will all be worth it." her eyes glowing an unnatural magical hue.

* * *

**Author's notes: **

**Oh boy, it's been a minute, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Holidays have been hectic, and I've been ordering presents like crazy, not to mention I've been playing some RPGs with some friends that have also taken up time. Needless to say, I've been doing my best, but writing has become somewhat more difficult.**

**We are still writing and I'm still planning on updating my stories. (For anyone wondering) Blades, I'm going to focus on it for a while as I've run into a bit of a writers block with this upcoming chapter of Shop Class. I don't know why, but I just haven't found the right words to put down, and I don't want to just post something just for the heck of it. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always…**

**Thanks for reading! **


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